Cycles

We used to live very near a lake in Arizona, where there had been a prolonged drought for seven or eight years.  When we moved in, the lake was at extremely low levels.  It was a very small lake because most of the bottom was out in the open air, since there wasn’t enough water to cover the areas that usually were covered.  During one period of several weeks, though, we had some pretty significant rainstorms–and the lake filled!  It was huge compared to what it had been, and the wildlife around there seemed to be having a great time of it, enjoying the new marshes and channels and places to live and explore and feed.

The lake got me thinking about cycles in life.  There are times of drought, and there are times of plenty.  We all seem to know this on an intellectual level, but it seems to escape us sometimes in our spirits.  The times of want seem to hit us particularly hard, usually because we fear that they will stay with us and that we won’t be able to escape them.  The financial droughts that we go through threaten our sense of well-being, and the emotional droughts that hit us make us wonder if we’ll ever again love or feel peace or security.  The spiritual droughts keep us feeling separated from life and from God, making us wonder whether or not we’ll ever again feel a sense of connection.

But the lake came back–it was full and healthy, and the previous seven years of drought were no more than a memory.  And while there will be more droughts in the future, for the time being it was fine–and the present moment is what truly matters, isn’t it?  I like to see reminders that even if things aren’t going exactly as we wish they would, even if we don’t have all the things we feel we need, the better times will come.  Life works in cycles, and it’s important that I accept the current cycle for what it is, even if I am working to get out of it if I find it to be negative.  I truly hope that I can find the wisdom inside my heart and mind and spirit to allow life’s cycles to continue, and not fight them as if they were my enemy.  There’s something important to learn from each cycle that we go through, and we’re all going through several stages of various cycles all the time.  I hope to learn all that I can from life, and I know that life is very good at presenting its cycles to me.  Even if I’m feeling a bit empty, I know that the rainstorms will come and fill the lake once more–just as I will be filled.  I need to keep my faith in life’s cycles and the better days ahead.