Many have written of the Ages of Man, from Shakespeare's soliloquy in As You Like It to the psychologist Erik Erikson's 7 steps of human development. I have decided to render these into a river of life. As a river is born from a spring or glacier, just a trickle, that grows wider and deeper with time and faces periods of calm and turbulence, life flows into a calmer, slower existence as it approaches the final All, the unknown, large deep expanse that water calls the Ocean and we call Death. Take a ride down the river and enjoy the stops along the way. The Ocean awaits some day.but not before you have partaken of the pleasures afforded by each stage of the journey along the River of Life.
Most of the images are of the Rhein River, taken from Flik via Weebly. (The photos are without names or titles, so I can't vouch for their accuracy or cite the source.Non are to to be reposted or altered.)
Most of the images are of the Rhein River, taken from Flik via Weebly. (The photos are without names or titles, so I can't vouch for their accuracy or cite the source.Non are to to be reposted or altered.)
Water-Life
The Alps where the Rhine River begins | Silent still glacier Frozen ice Warms, melts, awakens Flows downward. | We Are All is ever changing, But nought is ever lost. We are what was and will be, A wondrous present moment, Changeless changing beings. |
| Gaily gurgling brook Bubbles down Bird song, buzzing bees On the breeze. Tumbles into pond A brief rest. Dragonfly flits by Shaded banks. Merges with other Waters, deep, Churns into rapids, Turbulence.  The Rhine River in Switzerland Flows into calm lake, Still waters, Banked by fishermen, Pleasure boats.  Lake Konstanz Flows out into rich Delta, feeds Salmon, herons, fish And farms.  Rotterdam where the Rhine flows into the North Sea. Widens, slows to crawl Meets salt tide Melds with the ocean Becomes one. Ocean, wide and deep Strange life forms End and Beginning The All. MW | The Now There is no yesterday. There is no tomorrow. There is no past. There is no future. There is no future On the horizon. There is no past In today's wake. These are but concepts Not realities. Theres but a Now, A fleeting Now! The Ebb of Time As sunset paces and shadows grow, And as din fades and silence spreads, My feelings fly and all thoughts falter, My eyelids weary and slumber beckons. Day's nigh spent and life's in ebb, But all's not over, not yet done, My sands of time, though swirling fast, Have yet to leave my hourglass bare. Though weary in body, I'm still active, Though frayed in emotions, I still feel, And my mind's still in command. For that, my smile of gratitude! Time and Change Time does not flow! It does not come And it does not go. Change is perceived And time is conceived. Tine is a concept, And change, a reality! -JM Epigrams by JM To decide where you're going, Decide where you've been. To ignore the past is to deprive the present. To indulge too much in the present is to jeopardize the future. The future is but more of the past. Life has no U turns. River of Time Time is a relentless river, Flowing one direction only, Slow trickle then fast and faster, Rushing down life's steep mountainside, Rapids followed by quiet pools, Rushing now past busy cities, Through dense forests, wide open plains, Always downward. Widening, slowing, As it reaches the Mysterious unland, Deep unknown ocean, Foreign to us until We experience it In body and soul. -MW |
Can you identify the seven stages of human life in the river's flow?
Píccola says: I know no seasonal time, no calendar time. I only know the pattern of daily life. Meal time, nap time, couch time, bedtime, punctured by periods of "Do you need to go out?"
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