Beaumont (l) and his brother, Satish (r), playing together.

Life flows.

Everywhere. Every way. Every direction. Filling every space, every nook and cranny with its essence.

We flow with it. Sometimes, we attempt to flow against it. To try to beat its pulse. To pummel its essence into a shape and form that suits us.

And always, life flows.

We are, each and every one of us, part of the flow of life all around. We are not all the flow. We are all our part of its flow.

We can rail against it. We can scream and holler and kick and scream. Or, we can be one with the flow. Allowing the ebbs and flow of our part of it to be our constant companion in grace and ease.

Last night, Beaumont decided his part was to wake up at 2 am. For an hour.

Beaumont’s part means my part changes its course.

We got up together and went out into the backyard and for awhile, became part of night flowing all around us.

It was beautiful. Quiet. Serene. A deep night sky shimmering above filled with stars seen and unseen. The leaves shivered in a sibilant whispery cacophony of song rising on the almost still night air.

I threw Beau’s toy. He chased it and brought it back. Again and again.

Eventually, Beau remembered sleep, or perhaps its call overrode his excitement of being out in the middle of the night. He returned to his kennel, happy and content, and I returned to bed.

it is unusual for Beau to awaken in the middle of the night.

Perhaps, last night he knew there was magic afoot in the back yard.

Perhaps, he knew I needed a reminder of the mystery and magic in the stirrings of the night.

No matter the reason, his awakening gave me the gift of standing in the quiet of the dark listening to the whispering of the leaves in the night.

It was all my part of the flow, because no matter where life leads us, we are all part of the flow. Our own special, unique part. Connected through life. Forever.