Don’t you find water to be one of the most incredible things on the planet? I am always amazed at how easily it flows. It doesn’t matter if there are rocks, trees, or even buildings in the way, Water will find a way to flow around, on, in and through anything. And yet it is extremely calming. I love to sit in front of a body of water and contemplate, meditate or just absorb the powerful energy. The softness of a stream can be as healing as the power of the ocean and yet the energy is completely different.

Water is one of the only substance that you can see in all three states; gas, liquid and solid. It has a unique property to it where most molecules compress together as it changes from a liquid to a solid, H20 from 4 degrees celsius to 0 degree celsius expands. Water starts out behaving normally. As its temperature drops, water obediently shrinks together--until it reaches 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees F.). Then, amazingly, water reverses course, its volume slowly increasing as it chills. When water finally freezes, at 0 C (32 F.), it expands dramatically. This is why ice cubes are lighter and float. It’s also what we are mostly made up of. We cannot survive without it and yet the power of water can be devastating. Water has no taste or smell and has incredible healing properties in it. Water is the most powerful substance in our universe.

When things get challenging, I will almost always turn to water for guidance. I ask to find the flow to my energy back, to be as giving and powerful as water and allow my energy to be carried like a boat on water. Connecting to nature can be an intense experience. I have a respect for water and a curiosity that draws me to experience its power over and over again.

When I was five I almost drowned in a lake right outside of my aunt’s country home. I remember sitting on the sand in the water, watching the fish go by me and not sure of what to do. The next thing I knew, I was on my aunt’s couch with adults all around me. I was also pushed into the deep end of the pool countless times by a very stern swimming teacher growing up, creating more paralysis to water. To this day my fear of water is carried from my childhood, but my curiosity and awe of this fascinating chemical overpowers my fear.

Water is a great teacher of surrender. When a storm comes there’s no point in trying to stop it. When you ride a wave, it would be silly to battle the direction the wave is traveling. But if you ride it and go with the flow, endless opportunities flow toward you. This doesn’t mean giving up hope, not trying. It’s just the opposite. Surfers understand this. They need to ride the wave and allow their body to along the direction the wave is going, but they also understand how much discipline, control and work it takes in order to stay afloat. In order to learn how to stay up. They need to fall down many times. Allow yourself to fall. By surrendering to our challenges we will soar to unlimited ends.