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<v Speaker 1>Hustles to the us. Good morning, Welcome to this quiet moment.

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<v Speaker 1>To day we rest beside a flowing river and learn

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<v Speaker 1>from the quiet wisdom of moving water. Take a slow,

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<v Speaker 1>deep breath in, and as you exhale, imagine yourself standing

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<v Speaker 1>at the edge of a wide, gentle river, feeling the

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<v Speaker 1>cool air rise from its surface. Let your shoulders soften,

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<v Speaker 1>Let the morning hold you for a moment. A river

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<v Speaker 1>does not rush in panic. It moves with purpose, but

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<v Speaker 1>without urgency. It rises from the mountain as a small

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<v Speaker 1>stream and gather strength as it travels, joining with other waters,

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<v Speaker 1>widening its banks, deepening its path. There is no hurry

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<v Speaker 1>in this journey. The river trusts that the land will

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<v Speaker 1>guide it, that gravity will carry it forward, and that

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<v Speaker 1>the destination will reveal itself in time. And this moment

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<v Speaker 1>you are invited to feel that same unhurried rhythm within

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<v Speaker 1>your own breathing. Along every river bank, there are obstacles.

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<v Speaker 1>Stones rise from the water, Fallen trees block the channel,

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<v Speaker 1>Fallen leaves gather in small dams. The river does not

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<v Speaker 1>fight these things. It moves around them. It flows over them.

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<v Speaker 1>It finds the lowest point between the rocks and slips

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<v Speaker 1>through with effortless patience. The water does not cast a

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<v Speaker 1>stone or demand that the fallen tree move aside. It

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<v Speaker 1>simply adjusts its course and continues forward, never losing its

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<v Speaker 1>essential nature, never losing its sense of direction. There is

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<v Speaker 1>a great deal of wisdom in this How often in

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<v Speaker 1>life do we press against obstacles with force, exhausting ourselves

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<v Speaker 1>against things that do not need to be moved. Think

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<v Speaker 1>of the times you have held on to an argument

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<v Speaker 1>long past the point of usefulness, or try to change

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<v Speaker 1>some one else when the only real change was needed

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<v Speaker 1>within yourself. The river does not expend its energy on

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<v Speaker 1>such things. It conserves its strength, preserves its flow, and

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<v Speaker 1>trusts that the landscape will shift in time. There is

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<v Speaker 1>power in this restraint, power in knowing when to push

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<v Speaker 1>and when to simply move around. The river reminds us

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<v Speaker 1>that there is another way. When something stands in our path,

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<v Speaker 1>we can pause, breathe, and allow ourselves to find the

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<v Speaker 1>space around it. Not every obstacle is a war. Some

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<v Speaker 1>obstacles are simply stones in the river, and the water

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<v Speaker 1>knows that it has the power to flow around anything

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<v Speaker 1>placed before it. Water has another remarkable quality. It always

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<v Speaker 1>finds its own level. A river does not struggle to

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<v Speaker 1>reach the sea. It does not strain upward or push

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<v Speaker 1>against the natural order. It simply follows the path of

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<v Speaker 1>least resistance, and the earth itself guides it toward the ocean.

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<v Speaker 1>There is a profound peace in this truth. When we

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<v Speaker 1>stop trying to force outcomes, when we stop gripping tightly

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<v Speaker 1>to how we think things should be, we discover that

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<v Speaker 1>life has its own current, and that current carries us

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<v Speaker 1>exactly where we need to go. You may notice that

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<v Speaker 1>the river is never the same from one moment to

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<v Speaker 1>the next. The water you see passing now will never

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<v Speaker 1>return to this exact spot. New water rises from the springs,

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<v Speaker 1>joins the flow, and carries on downstream, and yet the

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<v Speaker 1>river remains the name, stays the same, even as every

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<v Speaker 1>drop of water changes. This is the nature of existence.

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<v Speaker 1>We are always changing, always flowing, always becoming something slightly

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<v Speaker 1>different from what we were yesterday, and yet the essential

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<v Speaker 1>river of who we are continues on to flow with.

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<v Speaker 1>The river is not to be passive. It is not

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<v Speaker 1>to give up or surrender to helplessness. Flowing requires trust.

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<v Speaker 1>It requires the willingness to release control, to let go

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<v Speaker 1>of the need to micromanage every outcome, and to have

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<v Speaker 1>faith that the current will carry you. The river does

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<v Speaker 1>not need to be pushed, It does not need to

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<v Speaker 1>be guided by anxious hands. It simply moves, and in

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<v Speaker 1>its moving it arise. You too, can arrive without forcing

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<v Speaker 1>the journey. You can trust that the path is unfolding,

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<v Speaker 1>even when you cannot see where it leads. Let your

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<v Speaker 1>breathing become like the river. Now, each inhale is the water, racing, gathering, feeling.

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<v Speaker 1>Each ex here is the water flowing forward, releasing, moving on.

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<v Speaker 1>There is no need to control the piece. Simply notice

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<v Speaker 1>the rhythm that already exists within you. The river of

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<v Speaker 1>your breath has been flowing since the moment you were born,

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<v Speaker 1>and it will continue until the very end. In this moment,

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<v Speaker 1>all that is asked of you is to be aware

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<v Speaker 1>of it, to rest beside it, and to let its

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<v Speaker 1>steady music soothe whatever feels turbulent inside you. Listen to

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<v Speaker 1>the sound of the water as it moves over the stones,

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<v Speaker 1>as it curls around the bends in the river bank,

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<v Speaker 1>as it sings its low and constant song. This sound

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<v Speaker 1>has been playing since the beginning of time. It is

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<v Speaker 1>the oldest music in the world, and it asks nothing

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<v Speaker 1>of you. It simply offers itself, freely and without condition.

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<v Speaker 1>Let the sound wash over you the way the water

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<v Speaker 1>washes over the rocks, smoothing the rough edges, carrying away

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<v Speaker 1>the tension, leaving behind only a sense of quiet and ease.

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<v Speaker 1>As we prepare to leave this quiet moment, carry with

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<v Speaker 1>you the image of the river. When the day brings obstacles,

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<v Speaker 1>Remember that the water does not fight. When you feel

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<v Speaker 1>uncertain about where you are going, remember that the river

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<v Speaker 1>trusts the current. And when life feels too fast or

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<v Speaker 1>too demanding, remember that even the mightiest river was once

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<v Speaker 1>a small stream that found its way one gentle drop

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<v Speaker 1>at a time. There is no need to rush, there

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<v Speaker 1>is no need to force the river moulfs, and so

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<v Speaker 1>do you. Thank you for sharing this quiet moment. I

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<v Speaker 1>will be here with you again to morrow.