Same River

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”

~Heraclitus

I love this quote. A reminder that our environment is constantly in flux. We, as people, are continually changing. Not only does the river change from moment to moment, but so do we. A tree can fall into a river, altering the flow of water and carving a new channel in the river. An event can enter our lives and change the way we see the world, or develop a sudden appreciation for crunchy peanut butter. Big or small, we, like nature, are influenced and changed by our surroundings and the events that occur within them. Any event can have a big or small impact on our lives. Change is constant. And that is exciting.

Events in our lives, whether we have control over them or not, have the potential to change us. Our reaction to a circumstance could set into motion a mindset or a habit that can have a positive outcome. It could be an exercise routine or a newfound work ethic towards that novel you have always wanted to write. My point is that change can come from any place or anything, and it is constant. We are constantly changing, forming new ideas and new opinions. It is always possible to learn something new.

The same holds true for the environment, for the river. It too is constantly changing and adjusting to the surroundings. Tides erode the shore, changing the land. The wind bends the trees, creating newly shaded areas. The world is continually shifting, adjusting, and rearranging. Water shapes rock, Ice moves rock, Ice becomes water. The change is cyclical and constant.

It is this change, this ability to adapt, that ties us, people, to the land, the earth. We are, ultimately, one constantly changing entity, always learning and adapting to one another.