Sunday, February 19, 2006

3 RIVERS: some thoughts I've been thinking


Silence from the Past
Originally uploaded by HaMeD!caL.

Been away for the weekend visiting the in-laws. It's quiet there. Quiet house. Quiet streets. Quiet towns.

In this quiet, I found myself thinking a lot about aging, and courage and life. And this is what I thought:

There are three rivers that flow through us in the course of our existence bringing beauty and strength and vibrant life: the first is hormones, the second is breath and the third, love. When the first wanes, the second two must increase. When the second also diminishes, the third must be highly developed enough to prevail.

If there is a test we all must pass or fail, it is this. Only this.

22 comments:

MB said...

Oh, Patry. Oh. Oh. Oh.

Sky said...

Very interesting - thought provoking, Patry.

Crockhead said...

You've certainly given me something to ponder. I'm not sure. Are you and the Beatles correct that "love is all you need?" Or maybe you're saying, you need some other things but you must have love?

rdl said...

Wow, good one!

1000 black lines said...

right on... beautiful... but what of hope?

robin andrea said...

In the end, before the last breath is finally exhaled, all you hope to have at that moment is love. Beautiful.

Michael said...

I don't know, I think love and hope often are synonymous.

Patry Francis said...

My commenters are so good you always force me to think more deeply about what I meant to say. In this writing, I was thinking quite literally of what gives vigor and beauty and courage to the body when the river of hormones that makes the hair shine and the muscles taut in youth no longer flows.
Deep breathing and increased oxygen through movement is one thing, but in the end the breath frequently grows shallow, too, movement restricted. Then there is only the river of love. Pray that it is deep enough.

And I tend to agree with Michael, that you can't possess that kind of Love without also having Hope.

Richard Lawrence Cohen said...

Gassho! (That's a Zen bow of respect.)

Brenda Clews said...

This is so beautifully written, and the message even more so. Wow.

Thanks for dropping by today.

xo

Fred Garber said...

My wife and I have been attending classes so we can be married in the Catholic church. Yesterday the teacher touched on this very topic. Not exactly the same three rivers. And she was talking about the relationship between two people. While I was listening to her my mind kept drifting to Neruda's Cien Sonetas de Amor(100 Love Sonnets) that talk about love thru various stages... and there you are doing it all in just a few words! Bravo!

Lorna said...

And I thought this was all a subliminal message about wine...

Melly said...

I must admit I was surprised with the hormones choice at first, but I can now see how it would make sense. Interesting.

Laini Taylor said...

Beautiful thought, makes the mind hum. Thanks!

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Patry, this took my breath away. I actually read it yesterday, but I was just so blown away by the extraordinary simplicity and beauty of this thought, that I couldn't comment then. Yes, I agree, love keeps the heart beating when all else says to let go. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Lovely thoughts.

P. A. Moed said...

Yes, this is so true, Patry. You express it very well.

On a side note, you've been tagged. See my blog.

P. A. Moed said...

After reading the other comments,I'd replace the word "hormones" with "energy." That's what drives us/powers us through life on a simple metabolic level. It would encompass hormones.

Patry Francis said...

Richard: Oh Gassho! I love that word. It actually sounds like the motion it describes. Thank you!

Brenda: Thanks for visiting. Just the sight of you reminds me to stretch--both literally and metaphorically.

fred: Those must be some very interesting classes if they include Neruda's sonnets.

Lorna: I never say no to the river of wine...

laini t., simply coll, and sharon: Thank you for humming along, and for your lovely comments.

Melly and Patricia: The word "hormones" gave me pause, too, and I don't think I explained what I meant too well in the post. (Maybe I clarified a bit in the comment section when prodded by sharper minds.) But I definitely meant hormones--the wild river that transforms our lives when it passes through us in adolescence--and transforms us again when it wanes. What do we have when we no longer have the free gifts of physical beauty and strength and energy?

Yummyteece said...

First, let me say thanks for dropping by yesterday.

Secondly, I like the concept of the 2 rivers, and do indeed agree that hormones count as their own. The "energy" that someone spoke of (in my opinion) is the combination of those three rivers. Our energetic connections to each other and to life come from the way we physically respond to each other (hormone), the shared experience of living (breath), and the ability to feel and express compassion & caring with each other (love).

very thought provoking.. thank you.

Anonymous said...

After reading your analogy, I feel I have lived many days. I float and I am living on. Life then. Life now and just a step before the next life. @->-- Ready.

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