Going With the Flow

I remember a rafting trip I took with two college friends down a local river. They convinced me to shoot some rapids in a flat-bottomed fishing boat, which (of course) capsized in the first rapids we encountered. The boat overturned above my head and I was pulled under the water by the current. I realized I might drown and immediately felt a deep sense of peace come over me. At that moment, I surrendered to the current and allowed myself to be swept around the rocks. It was an amazing experience to actually “go with the flow”. Eventually, I ended up into a deep pool about ten feet under water. I was almost out of breath and was completely disoriented. I turned here and there in the water searching for the surface and then a thought came to me, “look for the light”. I found a stream of light and started swimming towards it. Bursting to the surface I gasped for air as my frightened friends swam to me and we all paddled to shore. After that the story becomes a comedy of errors about lost shoes and a mountain man who confronted us, shot gun in hand. But today I remember surrendering to the power of the river and the peaceful trust that no matter what happened all would be well.