Have You Put Your Canoe Down?
Is it time to put down the canoe that helped you cross the river?
Yesterday as I was driving around in the warm and gentle Autumn sunshine with my roof down, I listened to a new podcast called The Shadow and The Light with my meditation mentor davidji and his colleague Elizabeth Winkler. Elizabeth shared a story about 2 travellers who came across a river to cross. Once they were on the other side, one traveller put his canoe down and continued walking. The other traveller decided to carry his canoe and of course, you can imagine how that slowed him up and made life more difficult for him.
davidji shared he had many canoes, a hoarder of canoes and with Elizabeth’s guidance, together they worked to take a few canoes off davidji’s back.
It’s another way of telling the analogy of carrying your baggage through life and not putting it down. Including a river in the story makes it relevant to times in your life when you’ve used a tool, resource, habit, etc. as a crutch to get through a tough time. When you’re through to the other side, do you put it down or keep carrying it with you… just in case?
Nothing is permanent, everything changes. That is why the canoe or baggage you’re still carrying throughout your life is irrelevant to your life now, in fact, it holds you back.
There is a beauty to letting that extra load go, it also allows us to change! And as we put down the canoe or baggage that no longer needed, it allows us to pick up what is in alignment with us in this moment.
And that change is up to us. It’s up to us if it’s a negative or positive influence on our life. Be gentle with yourself during this time, there can be many factors at play and at times you may feel like you’re going backwards or you do make choices that might negatively impact you, but what I know for sure…
You are doing your best in that moment and during that time. As the wonderful Dr. Maya Angelou is often quoted, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”.
This is a time for kindness and understanding for yourself. No judgement. Be your very best friend.
“Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible. Life itself is possible. If a grain of corn is not impermanent, it can never be transformed into a stalk of corn. If the stalk were not impermanent, it could never provide us with the ear of corn we eat.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
During my time studying the Masters of Wisdom & Meditation Teacher Training with davidji, my eyes and heart were opened to a new way of living according to Buddhism, Hinduism, spirituality and a mix of other religions. It helped me find a grounded centre. Of course, I’ve had to continue working at maintaining it, but it was life-changing for me and I’ve found an equilibrium in life after the most devastating, heartwrenching and soul-destroying period of my life.
“Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing.” The Buddha
I find comfort in knowing that everything is constantly changing. If you’re having a bad day or moment, it’s temporary and you will get through this. It may take a day or years, but you will get through this.
Alternatively, the good times are also temporary, so ENJOY THE MOMENT! Don’t let that happiness and joy pass you without immersing yourself in the deliciousness of it.
Take a moment to put down that canoe and feel the lightness and freedom of not carrying that weight anymore. Could you put it down permanently? How would that feel? What would that look like? What will you leave behind so you can freely move forward?
*30 in 30 challenge - written in 37mins… oops again!