Float On

Have you ever heard the phrase “Don’t just float through life”? I personally internalized this mantra at some point in my life and I imagine it comes from a place of perfectionism. I imagine it comes from a place of wanting to get it (life) right. I would imagine it comes from a place of needing to feel safety in my belonging with others, safety in the place I call home, safety in knowing I will have enough to eat, safety in all the ways that make me feel like I have some control over this life. I would imagine it comes from a place of trying to prevent death, from trying to control my life to prevent that which I know is inevitable.

I have this mantra juxtaposed against the notion of flow. “That sense of fluidity between your body and mind, where you are totally absorbed by and deeply focused on something, beyond the point of distraction. Time feels like it has slowed down. Your senses are heightened. You are at one with the task at hand, as action and awareness sync to create an effortless momentum. Some people describe this feeling as being ‘in the zone’. That is the flow state.” Headspace.com

When I consider the phrase “Don’t just float through life”, I wonder, “Why not?” Why not float through life? I adore summer and many of my favorite childhood and adulthood memories include floating down a river - rather tranquil in an inner tube, or tumultuously in a white water raft, or exhilaratingly in a boat or jet ski. In fact, I celebrated my sobriety one summer by parasailing in the gulf, maybe the ultimate floating experience I have had as yet. So. . .why not float through life? Why not trust in the beauty and possibility of life? Why not trust that I will be okay, no matter what the circumstances? Why not trust in the unexpected, whether it is the tranquil times, the tumultuous times or the exhilarating times?

The alternative seems to be to white knuckle life, trying to control every instant, trying to seek safety at all costs. One of the costs could very well be my own happiness. This doesn’t sound so great to me. I am unsure who coined “Don’t float through life”, but I will instead float on.

“And we’ll all float on, okay

And we’ll all float on, okay

And we’ll all float on, okay

and we’’ll all float on anyway, well” Modest Mouse