Flow Without Stopping

“We’re like the blood in our veins. We must flow without stopping”—-Kuroo Tetsuro

When our heart pumps blood to the rest of our body it must do it with the right amount of force to send it to the farthest reaches of our bodies, our pinky toe. Blood is the river that flows through us, it carries oxygen, nutrients, waste, and even protects our bodies from infection. It is in constant motion and must stay in that state for us to continue living. We go throughout our days not even thinking about it until we have to because of a cut on our hand, or when we don’t feel good and a doctor gets a blood sample from us to figure out why. We are programed not to have to tell ourselves to keep that blood flowing and with the right amount of stuff to keep us alive. God took his time with this and knew that we would have enough to deal with, so He made it his job to keep us alive.

Blood in itself gives us a plethora of information. It can tell us if our heart is working well, if we have kidney issues, liver issues, pancreatic issues…etc. It can let us know if there is infection in us or if we are dehydrated, and this is only touching the surface. Every time surgery has to happen bloodwork is required so that the doctors know how healthy a person/animal is before the procedure. Blood is so very vital.

We must see that like blood we are vital as human beings, when we flow and help each other without complications. There is not a single cell within the blood stream that puffs out it’s chest and says look at me, I am way more important that any other cell here. Each cell, each particle that flows in the blood stream has it’s own unique job to do. When the job is done it helps keep us alive.

Over the years I have met so extremely humble people and on the flip side some people that are so arrogant they feel the world begins and ends with them. When I was in the process of getting my vet tech license I had a group of gals that were mentors, teachers, friends. They worked hard alongside me to help me succeed. This meant testing me, talking with me, and encouraging me when I thought I couldn’t do it. They were also the same people that pulled me aside right before I took the test and said: “We know you can do this, and we know you will pass, but if you allow yourself to think you are better than anyone else because of this license, consider your butt kicked!” I passed my test a few days after that conversation and I can tell you I need Facebook reminders to remind me when I passed my test but I don’t need any help remembering the conversation they had with me. I check in with them on occasion to make sure I haven’t gotten a big head. Flip side to this, when working at a hospital a few years ago, the head doctor was looking to hire on a licensed vet tech. She had done the initial interview and had asked this person to do a working interview to meet the current staff and to show her abilities is different areas of the hospital. From the get go there was just something about this gal that raised red flags. She was willing to suggest lying to company reps to get more products and she just stepped into situations and offered advice which in itself isn’t bad but the tone in which she offered it quickly ruffled feathers. The staff was asked their opinions afterwards about the gal and most voiced concerns but the doctor ultimately decided to hire her due to experience. At first things flowed smoothly but then over time, little things started popping up and they turned into big things which by that time made it so there was nothing smooth about working at all. If we were talking about blood, there would be blood clots and blockages everywhere. The flow would stop, which sadly for this particular job it did just that and people had to move on to other places.

The Bible talks about us all being one body. We all have a job to do in order for life to run smoothly. When we do our job well but look at what someone else is doing and envy them, what we do falters. 1 Corinthians 12:14-19 says: For in fact the body is not one member but many, if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, i am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

We all have our own gifts and talents to contribute into this journey we call life. If we all did the same thing, for one life would be boring, but also there would be no flow. There would be so many undone things. We need people’s talents and gifts but we also need more humble and peaceful people. Don’t hear me wrong there, I didn’t say more doormats, I said humble and peaceful. Wisdome comes from living life, and having experiences whether good or bad. With wisdom comes being humble, being humble means knowing you are capable without having to tell the whole world you are. To flow like blood flows through the body, one must be ablet to get past hurts that may come, stumbling stones that get put in their paths, and worries that asult them. To flow means to trust in the One that pushed you in the direction you are going just as blood is pushed in the direction it goes by the heart and vessels within the body. Can you flow without stopping? Until next time:

Contrary to what we usually believe, moments like these, the best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times—although such experiences can also be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we

make happen. For a child, it could be placing with trembling fingers the last blockon a tower she has built, higher than any she has built so far; for a swimmer, it could be trying to beat his own record; for a violinist, mastering an intricate musical passage. For each person there are thousands of opportunities, challenges to expand ourselves.”

― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience