(Lots of half-timber houses in Germany)

Just arrived in the Moselle region of Germany. We have been on our way here since Denmark, about a week ago. This area is famous for its wines. We got the last spot in municipal motor home car park in Brauneberg. As we passed through the town we saw lots of posters – there’s a wine festival on this weekend. When we stopped plugging in things (electricity) and taking out things (table, chairs, awning) and turning on things (gas) we found ourselves surrounded by vineyards. On top of that there’s a view of the Moselle river. It’s a big view and it kinda insists you stop, sit down and just be here. Our chairs are positioned facing the river and the steep bank on the other side is covered with vineyards. I’m definitely here.

(And statues…)

For those of you who’s geography is as bad as mine… as well as a river the Moselle is an area in the west of Germany. I’ve found it on the map and followed it along with my finger… I’m not sure where it starts but it comes into Germany from France running along the border with Luxembourg. Then it meanders a bit around this area giving the soil the nutrients it needs to grow vines. Then off it flows into the river Rhine. As I sit here a few pleasure boats and a couple of large barges have gone past but mostly it’s just doing its thing, flowing.

(Our camping spot last night, just south of Frankfurt)

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. Flowing. Doing your thing. Or… not doing your thing. Blocking your flow. Ok let’s imagine someone in France or someone along the Luxembourg border decided to block the Moselle right outside their house… Blocking it so well that it could never, ever reach Germany. There would be no river here. No Moselle region. No vineyards. No wine. No wine festival. No barges. No pleasure boats. No pleasure of watching a river flow.

(Love this!)

You and I have a thing to do. When we do our thing, stuff flows. Stuff flows to us and stuff flows around us. We nourish the land we stand on and we have an effect. Flowing isn’t static. It’s active and sometimes it’s work but mostly it’s about a feeling. A feeling that generates energy and lightness in us and in others. We have a responsibility to generate that kind of energy in ourselves, our families, our community, our earth. This is not the heavy responsibility that the words duty or obligation conjure up. This is the light responsibility of love and it starts with you and me.

(Our view today 😄)

If you don’t know what your thing is or how to flow, find one small thing that you love to do. Then do that. When you feel the lightness of energy in you, know that the rest of us feel it too. Now you are doing your thing… and your duty!

And the earth thanks you and the river flows, Mairead.