{"id":481,"date":"2013-01-06T14:18:44","date_gmt":"2013-01-06T19:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/betzking.com\/blog\/?p=481"},"modified":"2024-11-29T17:07:30","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T22:07:30","slug":"letting-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betzking.com\/blog\/letting-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Letting go"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was fighting a cold the other day, and moved into a very still, introverted space of healing. \u00a0I tossed out my to-do-list for the day, cancelled plans, and spent the day reading and drinking tea.<\/p>\n

As is often the case when I become more introverted than extroverted, the Universe \u00a0resolved a few situations I couldn’t seem to fix, and delivered a few things I’d given up hope of \"letgo\"<\/a>obtaining. \u00a0My life requires a fair amount of Yang (active & directive) energy; when I’m sick I’m\u00a0definitely\u00a0more Yin (receptive and still). \u00a0This translates as being less willful. \u00a0I don’t impose my will on the Universe when I’m under the weather. \u00a0I just co-exist with It, and It always treats me differently than when I’m being all certain that I’m right about what should<\/em> be happening. \u00a0The lesson seems to be that letting go of what it should look like allows the Universe some room to work things out in ways that I can’t imagine.<\/p>\n

This is one of the basic\u00a0tenets\u00a0\u00a0in many spiritual traditions. \u00a0It also showed up in my colleague’s dissertation on “what makes an effective moment in Play Therapy”, where she was surprised to discover that effective moments often happened when the therapist was sick, or tired- i.e. not feeling so good, and not trying so hard to be effective.<\/p>\n

The tricky part is to let go of expectations without trying to let go of expectations; that is a paradox to be\u00a0wrestled\u00a0with. \u00a0Or, in this case, not\u00a0wrestled\u00a0with.<\/p>\n

Here’s a poem that my friend Ronda used at a recent yoga workshop. \u00a0It beautifully captures how to let go without trying to let go…<\/p>\n

She let go.<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

She let go.\u00a0 Without thought or word, she let go.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her.\u00a0 She let go of all the \u201cright\u201d reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0She didn\u2019t ask anyone for advice.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t read a book on how to let go. She didn\u2019t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all the memories that held her back. She let go of all the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning
\n<\/strong><\/em>and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0She didn\u2019t promise to let go. She didn\u2019t journal about it. She didn\u2019t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn\u2019t check the weather report
\n<\/strong><\/em>or read her daily horoscope.
\n<\/strong><\/em>She just let go.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0She didn\u2019t analyze whether she should let go. She didn\u2019t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn\u2019t do a 5-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn\u2019t call the prayer line. She didn\u2019t utter one word.
\n<\/strong><\/em>She just let go.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one notice a thing. Like a leaf \u00a0falling from a tree, she just let go.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn\u2019t good and it wasn\u2019t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her.
\n<\/strong><\/em>And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Attributed to both Rev. Safire Rose & Ernest Holmes<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was fighting a cold the other day, and moved into a very still, introverted space of healing. \u00a0I tossed out my to-do-list for the day, cancelled plans, and spent the day reading and drinking tea. 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