A reflection on change, direction, and learning to move with intention.

Today, I stood near the Nansemond River behind our new home and thought about flow.

Not the kind of flow that means drifting without purpose.

The kind of flow that keeps moving, keeps adjusting, always seeking.

I learned something about this river. It does not always flow in the same direction. Tidal influence, wind, and freshwater input are primary factors.

That stayed with me.

Because maybe that is what this season is asking of me too.

For much of my life, I have known how to move with force.  I knew how to lead, decide, push, solve,  carry, build, protect, and press forward. There was purpose in that. There was responsibility in that.  There was honor in that.

This chapter feels different.

This chapter is asking me to move differently.

To trust the current.

To pay attention to what is shifting.

To release the need to control every turn.

To understand that changing direction is not failure.  Sometimes it is wisdom. Sometimes it is alignment.

Sometimes it is God, the universe, life, and time gently saying, "This way now."

Leadership has taught me that direction matters. Timing matters. Intention matters. Rigidity can keep us attached to a path long after the river has already turned.

So I am practicing something new.

Flowing with intention.

Changing direction without apology.

Moving smoothly when the moment calls for it.

Trusting that I do not have to force what is meant to unfold.

The Nansemond River does not lose itself when it changes direction. 

Neither do I.