Letting Go In Life

We all hold on to so much in our day, in our lives and in our bodies.  We carry this through each moment as tension, pain, numbness, fatigue and various other ways.  Letting go in life is not easy.  It is difficult for most people to do.

We are all masters at holding on to things in life, but letting go is much more difficult.  Have you felt the tension in your back by carrying too great of a load in life?  Has your life become tiring because you felt like you had to keep plugging away and not stop or let up?  Do you just not feel life fully because you've carried so much around your neck for so many years?

Holding on in our life shows up in many ways and it usually shows up in the body.  If we are attentive and conscious, we will see it.  If not, we will hide it through numbness.  Even if we smile a lot and recite mantras all day long, it does not mean we have this under control.  In fact, it might most likely be the opposite.  Again, letting go in life is difficult but holding on is the norm.

Holding On or Letting Go In Healing

It seems like we as humans can sometimes miss the forest for the trees and even if someone points this out, we cannot even see it.  All too often in healing, we are holding on to all that is not healthy for our life, but letting go of it is like asking someone to climb the tallest mountain.  Most likely it isn't going to happen.  You can stand there in plain view of what needs to happen, but because life is so entrenched in what we have been taught to believe is true, we lose site of the forest for the trees.

When I have gone through some of my most challenging moments in life, I did not always want to let go.  Even though I gave lip service to that fact and tried to make people believe I did, in all reality, I was just holding on.  Letting go was scary even if what I needed to release was not helping me progress in life.  When something is scary, we often pull back in and retreat, hoping the fearful moment will soon pass.  It is easier that way in life, but it does not move you forward.

We can claim all day long that the doctors have it wrong, or the therapist does not know what they are saying.  We can claim that a diagnosis is anything but correct for us and we can continue to demand answers, but in the end the reality will slap us in the face.  Acting as if you have your life together and everything is going fine, will most likely not get you to the answers you need for your life.  They may make you feel safe and secure, but sometimes we need to be shoved out of the nest so we can learn to fly.

Letting Go In Our Lives

Sometimes we have to let go of those things that we feel we need in our life. While they seem good and well intentioned, if we are struggling and fighting to hold on to them, then it is best that we stop and do some evaluation. It does not mean that we will abandon these endeavors for the rest of our life. The shifting of our perspective is what matters most.

There are times that we can become so lost in what we see for our life that we miss all that is currently part of our life. We expend precious energy chasing the rainbows when in reality, our life is unfolding in the moment. Our life is not about chasing some rainbow in a far off distant land. It is about embracing the here and now in this very moment.

Image from "Journey Through Words" by Don Shetterly

(c) 11/10/10 by Don Shetterly - use by permission only