Flow

One of my more interesting writing projects was to create the content for deschutespassage.com for Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The site was designed to inform the public about the efforts to restore fish passage on the Deschutes River.

When the original dams were built on the Deschutes River in the 1960’s, they were designed to allow migrating fish to pass through. But what wasn’t well understood at the time was the three rivers feeding in to Lake Billy Chinook were very different in temperature. When the warm and cold waters met, it created a disturbance in the current, resulting in swirling eddies rather than a strong flow. Without a strong current, the fish simply couldn’t find the exit. The current project involves building an underwater tower to properly mix the warm and cold water, creating a strong current that guides the fish to exit.

It’s a perfect metaphor for my life these past months. I’ve been running around, putting out fires, meeting urgent needs and just trying to keep up with outside demands. My energy has been scattered, “swirling eddies,” with no focus or purpose other than to just get through it all.

But when I started focusing my attention on “extraordinary collaboration,” it was as if a huge wind swept through my life, clearing away everything that didn’t belong there.

Yesterday I finished the last project. This morning I could just feel all the parts of my life start to line up and point in the same direction. I can feel the energy, the spirit, the life force of the universe flowing through me again. This time I can actually see the resources of the universe heading my way.

Funny—while I was thrashing about, I kept trying to “make things happen.” But when I stopped and simply allowed myself to line up with the flow of energy, things started falling into place. I even got a new contract today. Amazing!