You can’t Stop the Rising Tide. What can you do instead?

You can’t stop the rising tide. Every day the tide rises and falls according to the pull of the earth and the waxing and waning of the moon. We may try and put up sandbags or build barriers or walls, but the tide cannot be prevented from rising. It is a force of nature that cannot be stopped. What if we looked at life the same way? What if we ‘allowed’ more into our lives, instead of always fighting against what we cannot control?

Just as we may put up barriers to stop a rising sea to no avail, what walls are we putting up in our lives? I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have any control. Obviously we have some say in how we live our lives. We rise at a certain time, go to work, eat meals, socialise and form relationships and interact with others. We have control around what we want and don’t want in our lives. However what if we ‘allowed’ the things we can’t control, to just be and accept them.

I was doing my regular meditation the other day and my thoughts wondered as they often do. I started to think about a recent holiday in the sun and how glad I was that winter was over and it was now Spring. Then I suddenly stopped myself and realised that winter too has a purpose. It is a quieter time of year where much of nature hibernates. Animals gather food ahead of the colder months. Many plants lose their leaves and slow down their growth to protect them from the cold, but also to conserve energy. Then when the days become longer and warmer, they sprout forth their green mantles and shine in all their glory. Animals, too resurface and bring new life into the world.

What if I accepted winter as a part of life’s cycle, instead of fighting against it? What if I adjusted to the colder weather, wore more layers and warmer clothes and ate more nourishing foods? What if I allowed what I cannot change?

You can’t stop a rising tide and you can’t stop a new day dawning, but you can choose what you allow into your life? Can you allow more peace? Can you allow more space and time for you? Can you allow yourself to be prioritised? Can you allow more fun and joy into your life? Can you allow more self love? What would happen if we sat with our feelings and emotions and considered what we could let go of.

Could we let go of fear and anxiety and allow acceptance instead? Could we let go of anger and allow non judgment to take its’ place? What if we let go of criticism and allow an understanding of our differences to take precedence? Could we let go of controlling every aspect of our lives and allow the magic and surprise to enter instead? We cannot control how others behave or react with us, but we can manage how we respond to their words.

It’s very easy to try and control our lives. If we have control, we don’t need to fear. If we have control, we won’t be judged or criticised. If we have control, we won’t be disappointed. But life’s not like that. We can’t control everything and everyone around us. It stifles our progress and growth. It blocks our intuition and spontaneity.

You can’t control the rising tide. Life goes on no matter what we do. Allowing doesn’t mean giving in or giving up. It means we allow what we can’t control and accept the things we can. It also means we actively take part in our lives instead of being a passive spectator and allow in more of what we want to create, so that life remains mysterious, exciting and magical.

And isn’t that how you want to live your life. I know I do.

With warmest wishes,

Judy xxx

Disclaimer: Please note that all information in this article is the opinion of the author and obtained through her research and knowledge and the above references. It is not meant to replace medical advice and a medical opinion should always be obtained for any health condition.