by Chris Koellhoffer, IHM June 2, 2024
I want to be water. Those words, the title of a piece by Elizabeth Lesser, recently traveled with me to some restorative time on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Lesser’s reflection underscored her growing awareness that small acts of kindness can be a bridge in fiery times.
She writes, “I am beginning to think that the most effective thing I can do as one human being in these hot times is to respond to everyday situations with small acts of human kindness.”
In other words, become water, the kind of water that helps to cool down the rhetoric. The kind of water that engages in peaceful and inclusive behavior.
Now, suspended in the warm, gentle waters of the Gulf Coast, I say out loud, “I want to be water.” To welcome every small wave washing over me. To float alongside pelicans and gulls and cranes, all of us with our different purposes—seeking silvery shiners or calming respite. To become so permeable that I absorb this peace, taking it into my very bones and tissues down to the cellular level.
At this moment, I am buoyed by this contemporary version of Eden—all of us in a harmony reminiscent of our collective beginnings. Beyond holding these days in memory, I wonder how to carry this water home. If I scoop some into a bottle, I’ll surely lose it at the security checkpoint en route to my flight.
The only way, it seems, is to become this water that has held me so tenderly this week. To counteract the fiery words thrown by an angry diner at an undeserving waitstaff by offering praise a few minutes later. To comfort a child who has heard only a steady litany of “You’re stupid” by instead imitating the spirit of Aibleen in “The Help” to little Mae Mobley: “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” To listen with an open heart to those I encounter, especially those whose worldviews are vastly different from mine, just as this calm salt water has held me and thousands of others today without exception.
I want to be water that discerns the difference between violent swells that harm and smaller waves that offer healing. I want water to teach me the timing of the sea, the rhythm of the life of the spirit, when to hold onto whatever is precious and blessing for me and for our world and when to loosen my grip on whatever doesn’t serve the purpose of the Holy One for our collective good. Yes, I want to be water!
In this moment, I’m remembering with affection all of you who follow these musings. No need to add the phrase, “Wish you were here,” because you and your intentions are held in my heart and prayer each morning, so of course you’re always in my consciousness. And because you are, let me close by asking you this essential question: in what ways do you desire to become water for our beautiful yet wounded world?
Takeaway
Sit in stillness with the Holy One.
If you are near a lake, a stream, a river, a creek, an ocean, you may want to pray near that welcoming place. Or place before yourself a bowl of clear water.
Reflect on some of the properties of water: to cleanse, to quench, to restore.
In what ways might you be such a presence to others?
Ask the Holy One to help you move from desire to practice.
Featured image: Joe Ciciarelli, Unsplash
NOTE:
June 11-18
Please hold in your prayer safe travels and all who will be part of a directed retreat at Eastern Point Retreat House, Gloucester, MA. I’ll be one of the guest directors for this time of retreat. Thank you.
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