Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Patterns in the Flatwater


Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do” Goethe

Chicago is a world class city with a vibrant restaurant scene, twenty miles of gorgeous urban lakefront, currently the political center of the United States. There is a river that runs through it, the flatwater known as the Chicago River. One of the beauties of the river in an urban center is the bridge. Bridges are wonderful inventions, not only to they allow transport between the shores, they also provide perspective that is often lost as we traverse the concrete jungles. 

I was crossing the eastern side of the Clark Street Bridge this morning in the early twilight. I looked upon the flatwater and noticed a pattern.. The pattern was that of boat wake. I did not see a boat, nor did I hear a boat. I continued to look upon the pattern and I surmised, that the boat must be under the bridge or just short of the  horizon the on western side of the bridge. My belief in the existence of a boat was absolute. The pattern in flatwater had to have a cause because it was not random and it matched perfectly the pattern of a boat wake. Something caused that pattern. I did not see the cause only the result. The river continued to flow and as the ripples of the pattern reached the awaiting embankments the boat emerged on the western horizon of bridge and the theory became reality.

Opportunities abound in our life, sometimes they come disguised as unsolvable problems, sometimes they leave patterns in the flatwater and always they provide an advantage to those with the wisdom to discern and act decisively. What patterns have you noticed in your flatwater?