The River's Journey

A river began as a tiny spring, bubbling up from between rocks on a mountaintop. It did not know where it was going. It simply followed gravity, flowing wherever the land allowed.

In the highlands, it rushed and tumbled, eager and energetic, bouncing over boulders and cascading down cliffs. It thought speed was everything.

As it reached the plains, it slowed. The banks widened. The current gentled. Animals came to drink. Trees rooted along its edges. Life gathered wherever the river was calm.

Near the end of its journey, the river became wide and deep and almost still. It moved with immense power, but you could not see it. Its strength was hidden beneath its surface calm.

Finally, it reached the ocean. The river did not end. It simply merged with something larger, losing its edges but gaining immensity.

You are the river. Youth rushes. Middle years widen. Wisdom deepens. And in the end, we return to the vast awareness from which we came.