Deluge - Change, Impermanence, and Flux

Hey friend,

I hope you've been well!  

Today I went for a run at the river near where I live, and it was absolutely pouring! We had an “atmospheric river” come through this weekend, and parts of Vancouver were flooding like crazy. As I was running along the river I noticed how high it was, and how heavy the flow was from the rain this weekend. There are smaller creeks on the side of the river and they were overflowing, blocking off access to certain parts of the trail.

As I was exploring the trails, soaking wet, I started to think about how much I love living near a river. I have spent 4 and a half years living by this river, and I have seen it change nearly every year. Places that we use to go and hang out at during the summer have been completely washed away by floods a couple of years ago. Each summer we go look for new spots, as the fall and winter seasons usually shift where the sandbars are.

The Nature of Change

Heraclitus had a saying that I think about often, “No man jumps in the same river twice, for he is not the same man, and it is not the same river.” Living beside a river has really helped this idea sink into my thinking, as I have had to accept the changes that this river goes through year by year. The difference between a lake and a river in this regard is very stark.

A lake generally has most of the same water year by year, new rain does accumulate, and some of the lake filters out into streams and rivers, but much of the lake is still there. With a river this is incredibly different. The water is changing from second to second, constantly in a state of flow. The water in a river can never stay in the river as it is always flowing towards its end point, as new water enters from the top of the river. Each day you visit the river, it is technically a different river. The banks and bridges are the same, but the water that makes up the river is constantly in flux.

This idea also explains why it can be helpful to read great books at different periods of your life, as you are not the same person the second time around. You will inevitably pull new insights and inspiration from it.

Impermanence

Buddhists teach about the impermanence of life, and I think that a river is a really good example of how that is so. Everything we love, hate, or take for granted, will one day change or leave us. If we try to hold on to the things as they are now, we inevitably become upset when they ultimately change. I learned this when our favourite spot to go swimming was washed away during the floods. I had to accept that not everything can stay the same, and that just maybe there might be a new spot that is even better.

We try so hard to keep things from changing, yet all we do is cause ourselves to suffer in the process. Accepting the nature of impermanence is one of the ways to ease the suffering in our minds. When we resist the way that things are, we suffer. When we wish that they were different, we suffer. When we cling too hard for things to never change, we suffer. Accepting that ultimately things are impermanent leads us to not cling so hard and just enjoy what we have in the present.

As I was running along the trails looking at the river, I felt so alive, and so connected to the nature around me. I stopped to take a break at one spot by a creek and watched a squirrel climb down his tree, all the way to the creek and drink from it, only 30 feet away from me. It was raining so hard I don’t think he even knew I was there.

Despite the pouring rain, I think I actually enjoyed it more than the sunny run I had last Sunday. I stopped at the same spot as I did last week, where the river bed was totally dried up at this one spot, and today it was flowing like crazy!

Change of Seasons

The change of seasons around here is something I have learned to love over the years. When I was young I loved summer and hated winter and rain. The older I get, the more I tend to just enjoy the place where I am at, regardless of rain, stormy weather and the cold bite of winter. Rain brings the lush green that I love about the PNW. Snow makes everything look magical, from the trees to the city lights.

Summer hits different when you’ve been through a Canadian winter, and I appreciate the weather changes throughout the year. I think it makes you a stronger person when you have to contend with bitter cold and wet weather on a regular basis. If you can still enjoy life during stormy weather, then I think you are better equipped to deal with the hardships that life may bring.

Sometimes you just gotta learn to take the Good With the Bad, and give it everything you have!

 Take care my friend,

- Niko