Time Is Like a River

From Touch of Peace: Living the Teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda,

by Nayaswamis Jyotish and Devi.

Years ago, when we were first starting our Ananda community in California, we had very little money. I decided to start a small business making incense as a way to provide an income for our members.

With long hours and countless details vying for my attention, it was difficult to calm my mind and stay focused in the present. A thousand thoughts kept calling out:

“What about me? I’m important too!”

Worries seemed to be my entire mental diet.

As I sat trying to meditate one day, an image came powerfully to my mind:

“Time is like a river on which you are floating. You can never occupy more than one place at any moment. Just focus your whole attention on where you are right now, and let the river take care of itself.”

That image had an uncanny power to help me stay focused. Whenever I found my attention wandering into worries, I would visualize the river — and it helped me come back to my center.

So often, peace comes not from solving everything at once, but from returning fully to where we are now. The river of time continues to flow, and we are invited to relax into its movement with trust, calmness, and presence.

In the light,
Nayaswami Jyotish