I was raised by the ocean and almost always knew the tide–its timing, severity, and change. Now, I find myself up in the mountains, far from the sea, with no ocean to set my clocks. I am left to set them myself.

I fancy myself as a go-with-the-flow kind of gal, but in all honestly, I’m not. I fight the current all day long, believing sheer will and determination can change the course of the tide.

Sometimes, every now and again, it does–just often enough to keep me guessing. But more often, it is me who needs to yield. To trust. To glide. To float. To flow.

I hate that.

It is me who needs to quit steering the boat and focus on ballast, speed and my crew. My boys. Those sweet, salty pirates who call me Mama. Every aspect of my life challenges my notion of effort, control and when to succumb to the moment.

I can do better. I know this. I can feel the winds blow. I can find the current that is easy, smooth, and mine.

I can flow.

Perhaps my fancy is true.

This Letter was originally published in Mamalode print issue themed FLOW.

About the Author

Elke

Elke Govertsen is a entrepreneur and founder of Mamalode. She has been featured in Real Simple, Forbes, Where Women Create, Ad Tech, and listed as one of Origin Magazine's "Top 100 Creatives." She has been a speaker at The Girls Lounge, Adweek, C2Montreal, HATCH, TEDx and (her favorite) in classrooms. She speaks on a variety of topics from entrepreneurship to overcoming obstacles. She loves consulting in the areas of community design, storytelling and brand building. Her special skills include extreme bootstrapping, overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities. Of the many things she has learned by doing Mamalode, her ability to work with absolute chaos/kids/mess just might be the best. She is learning that slowing down creates more impact.