Surface Tension

Tension is an interesting concept.  Whether it exists between two inanimate objects or in relationships between individuals, tension is a force that serves many purposes.  This photo was taken at Lake Norman State park.  The leaf you see  I watched fall from a tree and float through the air to fall against the tension of the water.  Gravity made the leaf fall from the tree.  The wind carried it through the space between the branch and the surface of the water and the weight of the leaf and the water's surface tension negotiated whether the leaf ultimately sank or floated.   It made me start thinking about the nature of tension in my own life.  So many things can persist when the tension is level and equal but the moment the tension shifts to one side or the other there is a dramatic change in circumstances  that results in consequences for both objects or individuals.  Tension is vital to equilibrium and balance.  Tension is vital to status quo as well as subtle and dramatic changes. The only thing the force of tension does not influence is the past.  Tension is always moving toward a new future.  That gives me great pause.  I don't really understand all the different tensions in my life right now.  There are so many new tensions and so many old ones in flux right now.  It is disorienting and challenging to adjust to the appropriate opposing tensions rightly for a better future.