Nowadays
I try to never let anything go
without gratitude . . .
it used to be hard to donate to charity shops,
but I realized
that I had gotten so much pleasure and use out of these things
that I hoped they would bring new life and joy
to someone else now.
Some young lady
would be thrilled
to have such a sturdy pot to cook her pasta in . . .
a little boy
finding joy in a well used,
but also well-loved
stuffed animal or picture book.
I feel like it’s all a funny little legacy
of giving back.
As for traits or habits . . .
well,
they are a little different,
and not always as easy to let go of with gratitude.
Sometimes
they feel like they would rather stay with me,
and it’s hard
to gently lead them to the door
and say,
“I no longer need you.”
They are not legacies I would wish on anyone,
so I can’t tell them to find another home.
But I try to be intentionally grateful
for what they have taught me,
and maybe even saved me
at a time I needed saving,
but do not serve me now.
It may sound silly,
but I make an attempt
to be gentle and graceful with them,
thank them for their gifts,
but knowing I’ve outgrown them.
I give them a few cookies
and send them into the sunset.
Some,
like Criticism
(of self and others)
and Judgment
(same thing)
keep trying to come back home,
but I am more firm than I used to be,
and don’t let them in,
knowing them
for the destructive little mongrels they are.
Being grateful
in as many aspects of my life
makes me stronger
and wiser
in knowing what is good for me
and what is not . . .
this is what strengthens my resolve. ♥
“. . . . Criticism . . . . Judgement . . . . for the destructive little mongrels, they are.” Perfect description, and understandable to boot, dear Sparrow.
Funny thing,
dear Joseph . . .
when the cats are acting up–
getting into the garbage,
tearing up plants,
I call them
my ‘destructive little mongrels’. 🙂
Gratefully, I recognize what is there that I need to release. Gratefully, I do the work to let the stuff go. I have done two hypno-breathwork workshops this month, and it has been effective in helping me release the things I want to let go of. The first session was very heavy, and while the most recent one was as well, what I was guided through and what I felt myself taking out of my body and releasing into the earth left me feeling so light, so free, and so happy! I truly felt myself letting go of what I have been working on for the past year. I am so grateful for all of the practices that aid this process, but especially for the hypno-breathwork. I already knew the breath was powerful, but this particular modality has been a big key for me.
One of the yoga teachers at the studio I work at is certified in it and after her last offering a few months ago, a friend told me it was a must-try. She was not wrong!
I think I might be ready to let go of the notion that most people have had it easier than me. That I have somehow been denied the advantages that others have enjoyed. It’s such a crutch and a heavy load to carry at the same time. It’s like a hot little ember that I carry around and keep alive.
I’m certain that practicing gratitude has helped move the needle on this and made me aware of this tendency. It’s a hard thing to give up. It’s a big part of my “story”. But I think I have been slowly releasing this and replacing it with a bigger and less myopic view of myself and my life. And maybe fully releasing this is not really possible. After all, it is a part of my story. Just not the lens through which I view everything.
And maybe this is part of my goal of seeing things as they are, and not through the filter of my story.
Sorry for the rambling and thank you for this question and the opportunity to contemplate this topic. This is why I love doing this practice. 🙏
Charlie, tyrany of self-preservation is the first thing that jumps out when I read all that. We were taught to survive. Learning to enjoy takes reprogramming the brain. It’s not easy but certainly possible.
“When we drop fear, we can draw nearer to people, we can draw nearer to the Earth, we can draw nearer to all the heavenly creatures that surround us.” Belle Hooks
I think letting go is a daily job. I think today’s quote is telling me that because the root of anything that I need to let go is always fear. The root of everything I need to let go is always in the past or the future and it is easier to let go a day at a time. I can’t change the past and I can’t predict the future but I can live through the lens of agape love today.
I too,
resonated with the quote from bell hooks,
dear Carol Ann,
and no matter what is causing me distress
it always, always, always
boils down to its essence–
fear.
I hope
we are all able to let go of our fear
with gratitude at least,
for what it has taught us. ♥
ps. I think it might be ‘easier’
to let go of fear with gratefulness
than with bitterness and anger.
Just a thought.
Carol, I know fear too well. Letting go of my fear of losing autonomy has helped me trust my root people more. It’s certainly helped me receive love, care, and affection from my elders, especially when Ngoc’s out of town.
Such a great question and one I am trying to navigate during this season of my life. There are so many things I feel like I need to release but the fear of what that means stops me. The truth is ….I know on the other side of this I am powerful and that holds me back.
Based on my own experiences, if I am aware that I am ready to let go of something, then most of the “work” has already been done (consciously/subconsciously) and letting go is “easy” if not liberating. Hopefully, elements of gratefulness were part of the overall process such that the letting go is performed peacefully with acceptance and grace.
Ritualize it. Pray, surrender, maybe draw or write or symbolize it somehow, and do something to let it go. Bury it, burn it, put it in water, etc. I find that adding physical objects to letting go really helps release something.
My four granddaughters do not seem to relate to me as easily as my 6 grandsons do. I don’t know if it’s a girl thing? If I unknowingly related to them differently as they grew up? (They are all now young adults.) But after a couple of years of disrespect, being ignored, being compared to other grandparents in passive aggressive ways, and excluded…I have finally come to a point of grateful release. I am grateful for the relationship I had with them when they were younger. I am grateful they have other grandmothers and parents with whom they have wonderful relationships. I am grateful they are moving forward with their lives in what appears to be somewhat healthy ways, with the support of other female mentors in their lives. And I am grateful I have my boys.
In terms of the release of something… I am going through a challenging time at the moment. I think what I can do now is just breathe and be patient with myself. Everything takes time.
My Ngoc, your answer revealed intel on my mental health struggles at its worst years ago during the late 2010s into the early 2020s. We don’t need fixing. We need loving. I wasn’t ready for advice and all those lectures as they happened on the spot. Just like with many people on the same boat, my expectations for the ones closest to me were unrealistic too contributing to the resentment. It’s all that I had and all that they had in a society where everyone’s just busy. It’s funny how that works. Those with the most suitable techniques for us are busy while the ones who are there when needed most are the ones with right intentions but wrong actions.
I can remember the good moments with love and appreciation and be grateful for the happiness they brought me. I can be grateful for the growth, lessons and the process the hard moments brought me. As Mikey Cyrus sings, “ It’s all about the climb” I’ll always cherish what once was and be grateful for it. I’lil always remind myself to be grateful for the hard because it has helped shape me.
Letting go of a relationship you believed in,
dear Deann,
can be almost unbearably difficult
and I hear in your words
that it is so with you as well.
I hold you in my heart
as you journey through this dark night
with love . . . ♥
I can do this every moment when I ride the razor edge of the present moment using the method to let go of this false illusionary human mind which is literally like a camera taking pictures of the words and making a story .
I’m so grateful that the universe has provided a way out to actually BECOME Truth. ☺️
My relationship with drought. The San Luis Valley is an arid locale. Climate change has increased this. The climatologists coined a name for it. Aridification. When an arid area becomes increasingly arid. The southwestern monsoon flow has begun, and we have received some rain. The moon is setting behind the cottonwoods that line the Alamosa River. I must gratefully let go of my fears. Complete release is difficult. I will radically accept this ongoing change with a good dose of gratefulness in the moment. Let go of my future tripping.
Peace, Love & Light.
It’s fear just as it says in the quote.Since I’ve been an adult, I have worked on letting others come near. I’m glad to say that I have a number of good friends, but letting them near me is a constant struggle. I guess I think it keeps me safe..
Give yourself the gift of free bi-monthly inspiration including uplifting articles, diverse stories, supportive practices, videos, and more, delivered with heart to your inbox.
Nowadays
I try to never let anything go
without gratitude . . .
it used to be hard to donate to charity shops,
but I realized
that I had gotten so much pleasure and use out of these things
that I hoped they would bring new life and joy
to someone else now.
Some young lady
would be thrilled
to have such a sturdy pot to cook her pasta in . . .
a little boy
finding joy in a well used,
but also well-loved
stuffed animal or picture book.
I feel like it’s all a funny little legacy
of giving back.
As for traits or habits . . .
well,
they are a little different,
and not always as easy to let go of with gratitude.
Sometimes
they feel like they would rather stay with me,
and it’s hard
to gently lead them to the door
and say,
“I no longer need you.”
They are not legacies I would wish on anyone,
so I can’t tell them to find another home.
But I try to be intentionally grateful
for what they have taught me,
and maybe even saved me
at a time I needed saving,
but do not serve me now.
It may sound silly,
but I make an attempt
to be gentle and graceful with them,
thank them for their gifts,
but knowing I’ve outgrown them.
I give them a few cookies
and send them into the sunset.
Some,
like Criticism
(of self and others)
and Judgment
(same thing)
keep trying to come back home,
but I am more firm than I used to be,
and don’t let them in,
knowing them
for the destructive little mongrels they are.
Being grateful
in as many aspects of my life
makes me stronger
and wiser
in knowing what is good for me
and what is not . . .
this is what strengthens my resolve. ♥
I like the idea of sending them into the sunset. That’s a great way to let go without anyone else having to take them on. 🙏🏼
🙂
💗
“. . . . Criticism . . . . Judgement . . . . for the destructive little mongrels, they are.” Perfect description, and understandable to boot, dear Sparrow.
Funny thing,
dear Joseph . . .
when the cats are acting up–
getting into the garbage,
tearing up plants,
I call them
my ‘destructive little mongrels’. 🙂
😊🌞🤣
Gratefully, I recognize what is there that I need to release. Gratefully, I do the work to let the stuff go. I have done two hypno-breathwork workshops this month, and it has been effective in helping me release the things I want to let go of. The first session was very heavy, and while the most recent one was as well, what I was guided through and what I felt myself taking out of my body and releasing into the earth left me feeling so light, so free, and so happy! I truly felt myself letting go of what I have been working on for the past year. I am so grateful for all of the practices that aid this process, but especially for the hypno-breathwork. I already knew the breath was powerful, but this particular modality has been a big key for me.
I will have to read more about hypno-breathwork,
dear SunnyPatti . . .
it is something I haven’t encountered before.
Thank you for mentioning it. ♥
I have never been successfully hypnotized . . .
perhaps I’ll try a gentle version myself
at home,
dear SunnyPatti.
Thanks again
for the inspiration. ♥
One of the yoga teachers at the studio I work at is certified in it and after her last offering a few months ago, a friend told me it was a must-try. She was not wrong!
Likewise
I think I might be ready to let go of the notion that most people have had it easier than me. That I have somehow been denied the advantages that others have enjoyed. It’s such a crutch and a heavy load to carry at the same time. It’s like a hot little ember that I carry around and keep alive.
I’m certain that practicing gratitude has helped move the needle on this and made me aware of this tendency. It’s a hard thing to give up. It’s a big part of my “story”. But I think I have been slowly releasing this and replacing it with a bigger and less myopic view of myself and my life. And maybe fully releasing this is not really possible. After all, it is a part of my story. Just not the lens through which I view everything.
And maybe this is part of my goal of seeing things as they are, and not through the filter of my story.
Sorry for the rambling and thank you for this question and the opportunity to contemplate this topic. This is why I love doing this practice. 🙏
Not one bit a ramble, Charlie. A very authentic and vulnerable reflection.
Carry on,
dear Charlie . . .
that’s what we’re here for–
to learn from each other. ♥
Charlie, tyrany of self-preservation is the first thing that jumps out when I read all that. We were taught to survive. Learning to enjoy takes reprogramming the brain. It’s not easy but certainly possible.
“When we drop fear, we can draw nearer to people, we can draw nearer to the Earth, we can draw nearer to all the heavenly creatures that surround us.” Belle Hooks
I think letting go is a daily job. I think today’s quote is telling me that because the root of anything that I need to let go is always fear. The root of everything I need to let go is always in the past or the future and it is easier to let go a day at a time. I can’t change the past and I can’t predict the future but I can live through the lens of agape love today.
I too,
resonated with the quote from bell hooks,
dear Carol Ann,
and no matter what is causing me distress
it always, always, always
boils down to its essence–
fear.
I hope
we are all able to let go of our fear
with gratitude at least,
for what it has taught us. ♥
ps. I think it might be ‘easier’
to let go of fear with gratefulness
than with bitterness and anger.
Just a thought.
Carol, I know fear too well. Letting go of my fear of losing autonomy has helped me trust my root people more. It’s certainly helped me receive love, care, and affection from my elders, especially when Ngoc’s out of town.
Such a great question and one I am trying to navigate during this season of my life. There are so many things I feel like I need to release but the fear of what that means stops me. The truth is ….I know on the other side of this I am powerful and that holds me back.
Based on my own experiences, if I am aware that I am ready to let go of something, then most of the “work” has already been done (consciously/subconsciously) and letting go is “easy” if not liberating. Hopefully, elements of gratefulness were part of the overall process such that the letting go is performed peacefully with acceptance and grace.
Ritualize it. Pray, surrender, maybe draw or write or symbolize it somehow, and do something to let it go. Bury it, burn it, put it in water, etc. I find that adding physical objects to letting go really helps release something.
I participated in just such a ritual, part of group addiction therapy, a number of years ago. Thanks for the reminder, Drea.
My four granddaughters do not seem to relate to me as easily as my 6 grandsons do. I don’t know if it’s a girl thing? If I unknowingly related to them differently as they grew up? (They are all now young adults.) But after a couple of years of disrespect, being ignored, being compared to other grandparents in passive aggressive ways, and excluded…I have finally come to a point of grateful release. I am grateful for the relationship I had with them when they were younger. I am grateful they have other grandmothers and parents with whom they have wonderful relationships. I am grateful they are moving forward with their lives in what appears to be somewhat healthy ways, with the support of other female mentors in their lives. And I am grateful I have my boys.
In terms of the release of something… I am going through a challenging time at the moment. I think what I can do now is just breathe and be patient with myself. Everything takes time.
Wishing you patience and grace as you move through this, Ngoc.
My Ngoc, your answer revealed intel on my mental health struggles at its worst years ago during the late 2010s into the early 2020s. We don’t need fixing. We need loving. I wasn’t ready for advice and all those lectures as they happened on the spot. Just like with many people on the same boat, my expectations for the ones closest to me were unrealistic too contributing to the resentment. It’s all that I had and all that they had in a society where everyone’s just busy. It’s funny how that works. Those with the most suitable techniques for us are busy while the ones who are there when needed most are the ones with right intentions but wrong actions.
I’m in a good place now. There’s nothing I need to let go as of this writing.
I can remember the good moments with love and appreciation and be grateful for the happiness they brought me. I can be grateful for the growth, lessons and the process the hard moments brought me. As Mikey Cyrus sings, “ It’s all about the climb” I’ll always cherish what once was and be grateful for it. I’lil always remind myself to be grateful for the hard because it has helped shape me.
Letting go of a relationship you believed in,
dear Deann,
can be almost unbearably difficult
and I hear in your words
that it is so with you as well.
I hold you in my heart
as you journey through this dark night
with love . . . ♥
I can do this every moment when I ride the razor edge of the present moment using the method to let go of this false illusionary human mind which is literally like a camera taking pictures of the words and making a story .
I’m so grateful that the universe has provided a way out to actually BECOME Truth. ☺️
With grace, asking your mind and body to let go. Focus on the breath. One day at a time. Often times this needs to be repeated.
https://nationaltoday.com/world-nature-conservation-day/
A lot of ”often times”
for me,
dear Michele,
with many reminders.♥
My relationship with drought. The San Luis Valley is an arid locale. Climate change has increased this. The climatologists coined a name for it. Aridification. When an arid area becomes increasingly arid. The southwestern monsoon flow has begun, and we have received some rain. The moon is setting behind the cottonwoods that line the Alamosa River. I must gratefully let go of my fears. Complete release is difficult. I will radically accept this ongoing change with a good dose of gratefulness in the moment. Let go of my future tripping.
Peace, Love & Light.
Good job,
dear Joseph . . .
future tripping
will not get you where you want to go . . .
same is true for me. ♥
It’s fear just as it says in the quote.Since I’ve been an adult, I have worked on letting others come near. I’m glad to say that I have a number of good friends, but letting them near me is a constant struggle. I guess I think it keeps me safe..