A family catch up session mid last year. Where everyone brings something delish to share, not only... in the way of cuisine, but also in the way of what’s new and what’s next in life. Sparked a number of thoughts, that led us to considering, putting together an 'ashrawartMusic' playlist for the mid year holidays, entitled the ‘Adventures Within & Without' compilation.
This blog is somewhat of an explanation, as to the reasoning behind this particular playlist theme and we hope you’ll discover... as we did, that it’s context, quite unintentionally I might add, dovetails nicely into our previous ‘Rhythm’s of Life’ blog. Hence the title, 'RHYTHM'S OF LIFE #2 | 'The Adventure Within & Without'.
In amongst our afore mentioned, family share session. Wherein among other things... details for an up and coming holiday were being discussed. We found ourselves, fondly thinking back over previous holiday adventures. When we’d excitedly plan and prep, for weeks... or even months... ahead of time, for our vacations.
The usual listing’s of food, clothing, fishing gear, music, personal items and the likes were penned... the maintenance of vehicles were typically scheduled... and maps were checked & double checked. All in an effort, to plan out a general itinerary of sorts.
Even with this being so, our past experiences also fore-showed the importance of us allowing some leeway, for the unexpected. As often times... best laid plans went astray. But, what was remarkable though... was the fact that on those occasions, we usually found, this didn’t necessarily mean all was lost!
On the contrary, when we embraced the unexpected... we commonly found ourselves discovering far more, than when we’d rigidly stuck to the original plan. What's more, those unexpected adventures or detours, that we experienced while on vacation... then frequently became, the highlights, memories, or even... meaningful important lessons in life, that we'll forever cherish!
Which is an interesting kind of paradox... Hey! To think that sometimes you can feel that you've lost something... but, then at the same time you can discover you've actually found or gained something! Life's untold adventures... the adventure within & without... will often begin here... in this paradigm.
For instance, while on a photography scouting trip recently, we stumbled across a picturesque stream, which was perfect for taking snapshots. But, for some mysterious reason, that particular day... we strayed from the original plan and decided to take some time out to enjoy a moment of tranquility. Tough call I know!
But whilst we sat there... soaking up the serenity. Our minds soon stilled, our senses sharpened and then before very long... every sight... smell... and sound in the proximity... seemed to miraculously come to the foreground. Who was to know... a multi-sensory symphony awaits those who'd but take the time to pause, look and listen!
Isn't it incredible, how much we can actually miss when our focus is elsewhere...hey, or when we’re hurriedly going about our own business or 'busyness’. We could've stuck to our original plan... or even perhaps walked right by the stream that day… but instead, something ‘within’... had compelled us to stop for a moment and consider our surroundings 'without’. These moments we now call our 'Selah' moments. Which in the ancient Hebrew tradition broadly means... to reflect, pause or to consider.
Much like the curious Mole in Kenneth Graham’s, ‘The Wind & The Willows’ novel, we found ourselves truly fascinated by what we’d encountered. We sat for a time... observing... and considering how the water within the stream, seemed to effortlessly flow around every obstacle in it's path. While, all the while... simultaneously nourishing... and transforming every aspect of life along the river continuum.
Our minds became adrift with a flood of questions…
Why are these things so?...
And why do all river systems seem to look somewhat alike… organizing themselves into branching networks, much like blood vessels, arteries or capillaries across the landscape?
If we stop to consider our own human bodies for just one moment. We no doubt are very much aware, of how wonderfully intriguing a construct we possess. Made up of billions of microscopic parts, each with their own unique individual purpose or identity. But... somehow empowered to work together as one... in order to maintain a state known as homeostasis. This is your bodies inbuilt ability to be to able to maintain a dynamically stable state ‘within’, as you interact with and experience your ever changing world or external environment… ‘without’.
These homeostatic processes, mechanisms or strategies are in effect... EVERYWHERE, transforming and reorienting EVERYTHING... every moment... of our EVERYDAY! Intrinsically, seeking to bring about connectivity, continuity, balance and harmony... which are integral for sustaining LIFE...our LIFE!
Now with that being said, would it be to much of a stretch then, to consider river system constructs, similarly to that of our own human bodies. As being seemingly... purposeful, purpose built and in-fact integral for sustaining life... here on earth? Moreover, can rivers then show us anything about life metaphorically speaking?
Well, let’s dive a little deeper… it’s interesting how ‘Riverine Ecosystems’ throughout human history, have been recognized as being the lifeblood, that is in essence essential to all life on our planet. They’re important biochemically, as transformers of energy and matter… physically, as transformers of the landscape, as well as… ecologically important, in their role in providing life sustaining habitat. Their fundamental ecological function, also includes their capacity as environmental depurators, or cleansers and purifiers. They actually possess inbuilt chemical & biological mechanisms to self clean. Which is truly amazzzzzing!
Many of us got to appreciate this first hand... Hey, during the recent COVID19 lockdowns, when global economic activities all but ceased. The rejuvenation and improved health of vast areas of our planet, including our waterways and river systems... became by all accounts... irrefutable! So, it would seem ‘Riverine Ecosystems’ do possess extraordinary capacities, that help to keep environmental equilibrium's in check.
But… how is this whole process even sustainable?
Well, in reality there's a multitude... of inexplicable forces, laws or processes that all come into play. But, for the purposes of this discussion and illustration, we'll be just considering one aspect... or stream of thought, from the multitude. Which suggests that the landscape features known as 'Meanders' in rivers... play a vital role, in helping to sustain or maintain these equilibrium's.
The how, when, where and why? Well, to try to explain this in relatively simple terms. It is said, that rivers continually adjust or alter their geometry, gradient and shape, in response to... and as they travel through different environmental terrains, in order to help minimize, the total amount of energy or work being expended overall. This could be likened somewhat to how, in a marathon... an athlete with foresight... whose in tune with themselves and their surroundings, may recognize the need (both subconsciously and consciously, due to innate homeostatic feedback mechanisms) to be consistently adjusting or varying their pace in situ... for endurance sake. Which suggests that it's not necessarily a race for the swift...Hey!
Now, what about rivers or waterways that seem to have straight channels... is the 'meander' still relevant'? Well, incredibly... even within what we may perceive as being, a relatively straight stretch of river, the 'Thalweg' or region of fastest flow rates within a channel... meanders... which may also be saying something significant too! Perhaps, at the very least... it's illustrating the fact that they are... still relevant!
So it appears, river network constructs or flow patterns and meanders, may then conceivably be designed... with some intentionality in mind. Could it be that their crafted principally to be the most efficient, effective and sustainable way of travelling from 'A' to 'B'?
Let's expand upon this point a little further... within a meandering river, the resulting variations, or changes to water flow rates (that’s the regions of slower and faster velocities), creates a waveform or rhythm, that’s vital to the process of efficiently managing the energy within the river water. You can think of this as being a bit like how an inverter air-conditioning system works. They possess inbuilt technology (variable frequency technology) that sustainably keeps the power required to a minimum... and so too do river systems. Seriously!
Meanders overall, are also in effect considered to be dynamically stable states, that facilitate homeostatic mechanisms. They actually help to innately maintain relatively stable or constant internal conditions (e.g. biochemically, ecologically, water quality, energy required... etc), as they interact to stimulus, changes or challenges, in and around the river surrounds. What's even more astonishing too, is their ability to be simultaneously transforming their surroundings in the process; quenching thirsts, bringing nourishment and delivering new opportunities that sustains new LIFE... around every bend!
There's truly something extraordinary going on here... "A river doesn't just carry water... it carries LIFE!" (Amit Kalantri). The entire fabric of creation, including the immutable forces and fluxing rhythms discussed herein. Are so intricately interwoven, cohesively working to re-orientate that which is disorientated. Like some precision navigational gizmo... or mysterious sacredly appointed compass, that can in effect... divinely connect the dots. Intentionally, aligning, guiding or governing the way... river systems develop and/or form, in order to sustain LIFE! M i r a c u l o u s!
So, there certainly seems to be more to rivers... than meets the eye... Hey! Many great thinkers, scientists and the likes over the centuries, have spent lifetimes observing and investigating such things. But, with life's profound complexities... it seems the more we discover or uncover... the more it is that we realize... the less we truly know. Hence, in many respects... we're just scratching the surface!
Albert Einstein... who's better known for viewing the world a little differently than most... may have been the closest to the truth by suggesting that...
"...there's two ways that we can live our lives or view the world…
as though nothing is a miracle… or as though 'e v e r y t h i n g' is..."
The world around us expresses such divine artistry… for those who would but take the time to delight in all it’s glorious wonder and see the things that we wouldn't otherwise see. We read within ancient bible text “ … For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made...” (Romans 1:20)
Our world often reveals itself 'within' the ordinary... everyday moments... that envelop us 'without'. Within a sunrise, in the smell of freshly cut grass, or even when were sitting beside a tranquil stream. These ordinary... everyday... unrushed... moments, can truly be... extra-ordinary!
So potentially, there exits an 'Adventure Within & Without'... just within plain sight... within each and every moment of our every-day! Could such things be true?
Well... my grandfather often talks of his childhood holidays, as being reminiscent of 'Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn' like adventures. Where as a boy, his child-like sense of curiosity... often times led to, the ordinary everyday... becoming extra-ordinary!
As a lad, he lived within earshot of the Perth City Zoo. Can you imagine what it must have been like as a child… hearing the echoing of lions roaring throughout the burbs, growing up? I’m pretty sure, this would’ve kindled an adventurous spirit, within even the least adventurous of us… Hey!
Their family home was also close to the Swan River and the local tip too. So, as you might guess, the river and the tip soon became a magnet for the local lads, to meet up, hang out and prep for the various river adventures, that they'd a fore plan. With a childlike sense of awe and wonder... they, explored & embraced their surroundings... saw potential in what others had discarded as rubbish...turned trash into TREASURE... set sail in recycled outrigger canoes, built entirely from the TRASH... and discovered unexpected opportunities around every bend!
Living more adventurously then, for the most part, may not necessarily involve... crossing oceans or climbing mountains. Though, we do of course genuinely acknowledge these as being a part of our life's simplest of pleasures. But, what we're suggesting here too, is that our life's adventures... may also be... a little closer to home!
So perhaps, it could also just simply be... recognizing that one mans trash can be another's treasure... or that the ordinary everyday... can in truth be extra-ordinary!
The hardest part of any adventure or journey though... is taking that first step in faith... outside of the known... into the unknown! Which is probably a bit like stepping outside of the proverbial boat so to speak... or out of our comfort zone! Despite the perceived obstacles... despite the doubt's or fears. We prayerfully & faithfully HOPE for that which we see not... and follow our insight's or inner sight... as this is what'll truly help us to... navigate the unknown... effectively connect the dots... and/or bring clarity to the path moving forward.
In this life... your practically guaranteed of being swept along in the rapids at some point in time or experience an obstacle or two... regardless of how well you've planned to avoid such things... the uncertainties... the chaos... or the troubled waters if you will... are ever-present. But, even though our life's journey doesn't often take us via the route we plan or expect! No matter where we find ourselves in life at times... that internal compass usually has a way of making sense of it... and reorienting things for the better!
So, what may at first appear as an obstacle, detour or meander in life, can in truth, often be the most direct, ground breaking, enriching, fruitful and enlightened... or clear path moving forward! If we could glean some sort of insight metaphorically speaking from living our lives more like rivers... then, as we sojourn through life's ebbs and flows...
We'd hope upon reflection... we may...
"Reflect the Light...
&
radiate warmth!
Be purified, transformed and transparent!
Quench thirsts & bring life sustaining resources that
enrich the lives of those in our path.
Immerse ourselves in the NOW &
apply the lessons learnt upstream!
Meander...slow down from time to time…
as it's not a race for the swift...
it's about endurance... so pace yourselves accordingly
& enjoy the journey!
Float around obstacles!
Let go of our fears... go with the flow... for by faith...
rivers can...
grain by grain... remove mountains!
Embrace the unexpected or unfamiliar
&
see new opportunities around every bend! "
Finally, this simple excerpt from A.A Milne novel, ‘Winnie the Pooh’, may say it all… more fittingly than we…
"Rivers know this. There is no hurry we shall get there... one day!"
Ashton & Co :) ❤
Precepts | Isaiah 43:19, John 7:38, Psalm 23:2-3