If I had to choose a lesson in my life that has set the stage to enjoy the most each day has to offer, it would be the value of letting go.
Nature shows us the beauty in letting go when the tides rise and fall. We can’t hold onto the ocean at high tide, but we can enjoy its abundance and know that it will rise again. Its rhythm is reassuring.
I live just up the street from Back Cove in Portland, Maine, where during high tide ocean water covers the mud flats. This vast basin fills twice a day and brings with it birds and great beauty. The ebb and flow of the water is a daily example of nature’s give and take.
Life offers opportunities both large and small to practice letting go. Our homes are containers for life, and we watch the world flow in. Mail, books, groceries, pets, family members, friends–there is a constant stream. Still, our space is finite. If there isn’t an ebb to accompany the flow, we’ll fill it up.
We can practice letting go with the inanimate things we no longer need, use, or love. From the books we have already read, to clothes that no longer “Spark Joy,” we have ample opportunity to exercise our letting go muscles on a regular basis.
Look around the space you occupy, is there an ebb to the flow of your material things? If not, follow Mother Nature’s example and start by flexing your letting go muscles. We simply aren’t meant to hold onto everything that comes our way.
The practice of letting go can be more challenging when we move beyond the inanimate to the people and events in our lives. Next week we will delve deeper into what I think of as the art of letting go.
How flexible are your “letting go” muscles? Do you have a designated “Give Away” spot? What helps you to let go? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s a great life, simplified!
