Marcus often reminded himself that everything is in flux, the river always moving, nothing staying as it is. At first this can sound bleak. But impermanence cuts both ways. The hard feeling you're sitting in right now will also move and shift. So will the good one, which is why it's worth savoring while it's here. Nothing is meant to be gripped forever. When you remember that a mood, a season, a difficulty, is passing through rather than settling in, it loosens its hold. You stop bracing as if this were permanent. You let it move, the way a river is supposed to.

Inspired by the old idea of impermanence. Written by Ugo Charles.