7.4.21
It’s been a month since the inspiration for this story presented itself to me. What a beautiful irony to have been resisting writing a story about resistance. That morning I watched two elegantly simple examples of how taking the Path of Least Resistance looks.
It was just past Sunrise on the American River. A paddling (a word for a group of swimming Ducks!) of Mergansers was merrily swimming along, Mama calmly moving upstream with her 10 babies in tow. A couple of the Ducklings tried to scramble up Mama’s back for a ride. Only one held on to her seat, claiming her own personal Path of Least Resistance – no tiresome paddling for her!
A few Canada Geese were scattered about, also making their way upstream. One little Gosling was having a tough time navigating a small rapid. Mom and Dad stood calmly by, keeping watch and honking encouragement. He paddled with all his might, twice floating backward with the current before paddling some more. He was like the Little Engine that Could! As a Very Small Animal, his legs were not yet strong enough to swim through the current like Mom and Dad. And then he found his Path of Least Resistance! Maybe he noticed, or listened to a tip from his cheer leaders, that just a little closer to the shore, the water was calmer, just what he needed to be able swim to the shallows and waddle onto the shore to catch his breath. The moment he edged toward the shore, the proud parents relaxed their watchful stance and followed their triumphant and tired little one. I cheered for him!
Many of us struggle against the current like those young birds, paddling hard with their little legs, instead of finding an easier way to navigate the current or move with the water. But why do we resist in the first place? Why do we resist the things we enjoy, the things we know will move our lives in the direction of more love and joy? This has been a topic of much consideration for me lately. It’s an important thing to understand because love and joy truly are the only route to living the life we want.
The sad truth is that a long time ago, our ancestors decided that productivity and profit through sacrifice, struggle, and hard work are virtuous, the “right way” to live. This perspective caused us to place very little value on ease, joy, and love, all of which are the Path of Least Resistance. I’ve come to agree that this painful path is not how we were designed to live.
The truth as I have come to know it is that we each have our very own operating system, completely unique to us, that helps us lead lives of ease, joy, love, and wisdom. Since we’re each the only human like us to ever live, it’s up to each of us to decode that operating system – there is no universally applicable guide. When we find our unique Path of Least Resistance, we find our most marvelously wise and loving true selves, we find the path to living our dreams. And that can be scary for almost as many reasons as there are people on the planet.
My brief glimpses of this principle in action have shown me it is worth facing the fear and finding that path. Every day I do what I can to keep my inner GPS programmed for my own Path of Least Resistance. Some days I paddle against the current, tiring myself out, and others I float with the current or find a route around the rapids, enjoying the scenery along the way. This is one of the things I came to this life to do – help others learn how to program their GPS to locate their Path of Least Resistance. Every little opportunity I receive to do this brings me joy and moves me a little further along the path to my dreams.
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