I can still remember the day I knew how to swim.

The moment it happened.

The shift.

Before that, I had learned the techniques and practiced them over and over again, but the trust was lacking.

And then it was there.

The water feeling.

Knowing for sure that I wouldn’t drown.

It was like owning the water.

The same water that, just before that moment, seemed to refuse to carry me.

The water I didn’t know how to relax in.

But in that moment I was finally admitted to the Secret Society of Swimmers.

And now it was so totally normal, so logical, so simple.

From now on, all I had to do was work with it, stay with it, and get comfortable with it.

But I was fine no matter what.

I often think about that moment.

A dramatic change that can’t be taught directly, and a change that is irreversible.

Because once you know, you just know.

It has become a part of you.

It’s in you now.

Recognizing your true nature is a lot like that.

Spiritual awakening (just another way to describe it) is very much the same.

It can seem impossible, not for you, and totally out of reach, until the shift is suddenly there.

You can drown and feel lost all your life, until you realize that you are safe.

That you can actually float.

And from that moment on, the water of life can be treacherous and rough and wild, but you will never forget what you’ve learned to recognize.

After that shift, you simply know.

And all you have to do is get comfortable with it.

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(Photo by @tubagus_99, for Unsplash)