The Art of Being with the Flow
A Leaf’s Lesson
In the dance of a lone leaf on the lake, we find life’s profound lesson—peace isn’t about stillness but about moving with the waves. Like the leaf, we can learn to be present, to float through life’s chaos with a sense of serenity and strength.
About The Visual Intervention
Received the Visual Intervention in 2012 – Falls Lake, Durham, North Carolina.
There’s this single leaf, adrift in the lake’s waters, seen in this photograph. It’s small, kind of fragile looking, but there it is, floating atop the ripples, holding its own against the vastness around it. Kind of makes you think, doesn’t it? In the grand scheme, we’re all kind of like that leaf—just trying to stay afloat in a world that doesn’t stop moving.
But there’s a lesson in this tiny leaf’s journey. It’s about being present, finding your spot in the flow of it all, not fighting the current but riding it. This leaf, it’s a little piece of nature doing what it does best—being. No rush, no worry, just being exactly what it’s meant to be, right where it’s meant to be.
When life’s waves come rolling at you, fast and furious, remember this leaf. Remember how it doesn’t speed up to meet the waves or try to dodge them. It just rides them out. That’s what being mindful is all about. It’s knowing that the waves will come, but you can ride them. You can find that spot, your spot, where everything’s okay, even if it’s just for a moment.
Sometimes, you’ve got to make like that leaf and float. Take in the art around you, the beauty of a single moment, or the deep breaths of meditation. You find peace, not by running away from life, but by embracing it, one ripple at a time.
And just like the lake doesn’t judge the leaf for where it floats, we’ve got to remember to be kind, to understand, to listen. Everyone’s got their own waves they’re riding. When we’re kind, when we’re patient, we make the waves a little easier for everyone to handle.
So next time you feel the world spinning too fast, think of this: a single leaf, the vast lake, and the incredible dance between the two. It’s about balance. It’s about finding your pace in the middle of the chaos. It’s there, that peace. Sometimes you just need to look for it, like a red leaf on blue water, waiting quietly to be seen.