The moment captured was one of joy, playfulness and presence, and almost as soon as the photo was taken, it was gone.
In an instant, any sense of calm and “okay-ness” was consumed by an eruption of panic, overwhelm and confusion.
This lesson of impermanence has been one of our son’s greatest teachings.
I’m often reminded of Greek Philosopher Heraclitus’s words, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man.
And so it is that nothing stays or endures but change itself.
So here I am, learning to hold lightly each moment, milestone, season and event as they come and go, resting for just a moment on the smile of a child, knowing that it will go as quickly as it came.
So it is true for any emotion; it will come, and it will go. For me, welcoming the truth of impermanence is like stepping through a portal to presence and deep gratitude that allows me to take in each precious, and fleeting moment without the life sucking grip of attachment or worry.
In this, I find great comfort and fortitude.
Just as things come, they will go.
The moments of overwhelm,
confusion and panic will come,
and they will pass.
The flickers of joy,
grounded presence
and clarity will come,
and they too
shall pass.
The invitation
is to stay with what is
in the moment we are in,
and we will see,
it never stays
as it is.
Sit with this truth long enough,
and the restlessness, fear and worry
will lift as we settle deeper still
into the space within
where there is
space for
it all.
There is space
for the pain and the joy,
the light and the dark,
for fall, winter, spring, summer
and all of the time
and space
between.
There
is space
for it all to
come
and
go.
And so
here I am,
learning over and
over again to be with,
and love what is alive within
and around me as it
comes and goes,
all in right
timing.
Malory Ogrizovich is a writer, certified life coach, wife and mother of two boys. She lives in a farmhouse in Southeastern Wisconsin. Learn more about her work and her story at authenticlivingcommunity.com.