I have realized that peace within is obtained by surrender and non-attachment (lovingly unattached) to specific outcomes.
This does not mean being lazy and not doing our best. It means not getting our satisfaction only from a specific outcome. More specifically, dictating how things should happen so that we can be happy.
Last week, I was challenged with dealing with issues that did not meet my expectations, even though I had followed all the expected protocols. Such events remind me to observe my reactions, surrender to what is, be kind, and then take actions in the moment.
Sometimes we do not know the level of our attachments until we are challenged to let go of them (expectations, people, concepts, things).
The more thought, energy and work we put into something, there is potential for more attachments.
What we attach to, becomes part of our identity and who we are and letting it go becomes as if we are dying.
Sometimes we get attached to a concept such as not missing out an experience (life as a bigger picture).
As a result we hoard things, so that we can possibly enjoy them later and not miss out.
For example, we may own a book that we have not read for 20 years, but still do not read it or donate it!
Or a shirt we bought many years ago , we have never worn it and still are waiting for the right occasion to wear it!
The problem with this is that events can only be experienced in the now, not in the past or the future.
It Is like going on a trip and taking many pictures so that one day we can look at the pictures and finally enjoy our trip!
The problem with all forms of attachments is that we miss out on being in the present (either due to regret of the past or trying to protect for the future).
One may say that they are not attached to anything. Right! There are always rare exceptions.
Our amount of worry and energy into something shows our attachment and point of focus.
It is our responsibility to evaluate what attachments we have and what attachments have served their purpose.
Copyright .2021 by Shervin Hojat
Recently, for a number of reasons I had to let go of a very old friend..
...and it was so difficult not to still try and hold on at some level...I have
finally come to terms with the situation..and am now at peace with it...but it was veryhard to do..
Books are kept ‘in case’ I need them for quotations, when I write the book
I have been meaning to write for thirteen years!
The weirdest thing I have attached to is the pink tail comb I have had since I was fourteen years old...it has been lost, left places, but always gets returned...I feel as though we have been on our life experience together for all these years, and I would be devastated if I did finally lose it, but to try and really explain why would be very difficult...it is as if I have given it consciousness!!
I found this piece so very interesting, and it got me to question how well I am succeeding at ‘letting go’...’Need to do better’ is my conclusion..
Thank you for the motivation...
Diana...
The one thing I have the hardest time doing is leaving behind perfectly useful software because the company that made it no longer supports it in this or that platform. Some of my intellectual property is tied up in old, no longer supported software. It is a shame that our world is changing so fast that some history is merely lost because the way it was coded is no longer available to view.
Ron