All the small stuff has gone.
Recent rains have exposed the stream bed and shifted the silt and smaller stones further down.
What is left is much clearer to see, and it has changed the way the brook flows.
There are no longer gentle ripples but stone steps and narrower channels that allow the water to run fast and deep.
There is more energy now, yet it needs to be marshalled to be any constructive use.
And for us, the choices are clearer. The stones are more evident.
What will we do?
Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
So that the compass of your soul
Might direct you towards
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life;
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.
+ John O’Donohue, from the blessing For the Traveller