Letting go isn’t easy.
Whether it’s hanging on to a loved one, a deeply ingrained ideal, or even a favorite sweater–human beings have a hard time just letting things come and go as they will. It’s hard to step back, change our course, and let ourselves go the way we’re meant to go, especially when we have emotion, time, or money deeply invested in a particular event, plan, idea, or concept.
The more we’ve put into something, the harder it is to let the currents flow naturally.
Letting things take their natural course and flow is one of the cornerstones of Taoist thought. The more we try to force things to go as we believe they should, the more chaotic the situation becomes. The more chaotic, the more unbalanced. Since balance and internal harmony are key, it stands to reason that the more you try to control, the more out of whack and unable to find inner peace you become.
The more we go against that gut instinct that tells us something isn’t right, the more the whole thing blows up in your face. The more we lay rules down on top of the natural course of events, the more things spin out of control.
One of my Tao and Zen students, a teacher of great insight, called this ability to let go at the right time and hold on at the right time, “The Joy of Letting Go.”
“The master lets things come and go
as they will,
thus she is completely present
and can welcome all things,”
–Tao Teh Ching, Lao Tzu
Have a fantastic day.
I couldn’t agree more! Letting go should be the easiest thing in the world; it takes no effort. As we each know, however, sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult.
OUCH, this is wonderful! lol
Letting go is horribly wonderful when one is new with allowing it to work through them. There’s a very funny space I’ve discovered where there used to be a lot of stuff and different kinds of forms. It’s quiet and not flashy, yet it has its own beauty. Right now I know it looks like I’m doing nothing, especially compared to the excellent working artist friends I share life with, but I know it’s time to simply be. When the time comes for me to roll my sleeves above my elbows and get into the grit and dust of creation, I’ll go without hesitation and thought. For now, I float effortlessly in the heart of Life.