Pushing The River

Like changing lanes on the highway

thinking that you'll get the chance

to speed up

and pass up

all the cars

holding you back

from moving fast

towards your destination

:

Then

getting stuck behind

a stack of cars

merging in your lane

from all the people

who shared your same idea

and now share the same fate

:

You watch

as the lane you were in

becomes clear

and you realize

it would have been best

to stay patient

and stay in your lane

with a languid steer

:

At the grocery store

I jumped from one line to the next

The last line I was in

there were two customers ahead

and I wanted to speed up the process

to get to my destination

:

The cashier I jumped to

was only bagging a few bags

for her last customer

I figured I could get out faster

but universe thought differently

:

"You're pushing the river."

She smiled bright with her words said

:

"Huh?"

Ignorant to the old-time analogy

I questioned her logic

:

With her sunken eyes

and silver hair

She said she was once young

like me

:

Sometimes you try to force things

to happen faster than they need to be

& end up slowing them down

& blocking your blessings

:

She languidly bagged the produced

as she sold her wisdom to me

:

"I know that."

"I experience that all the time when merging lanes in traffic."

"Sometimes I just can't help, but let my ego take the reins to try to increase the speed."

:

I told her I'm working on that

I'm trying to find a balance between

letting my ego protect me

yet letting my soul lead

:

She told me how I need to learn to sit back

enjoy the meander of the river

& not to force the river to do unnatural things

:

I told her I'm getting better at it day by day

Then I told her how my car nearly lit on fire

on the bridge in the a fast lane

:

How I had to pull over

in the shoulder where it was unsafe

How my phone died

several people almost crashed into my car

& I was stuck there for hours on end

:

"In the past I would have completely lost it."

"But this time I breathed and I thought...

'When will I ever get a chance to watch the sunset atop the bridge?'

"So instead I decided to sit on the bridge and sing."

:

"Ahhh, so you've merged with your higher self?"

She held up the line behind me

damming up the river

in our meandering conversation

:

"Yes, I think I pushed the river into the right line today."

"I'm happy you were my cashier."

:

The pillows of her cheeks

draped over her smile

ear to ear

"Come talk to me next time you're in here."

:

I meandered out the door thinking

'Even god dresses in drag

as a old wise cashier.'

: