COURAGE MONTH: DAY 10: “We can’t be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don’t have something better.” ― C. JoyBell C.
Letting go is such a challenge for most of us. What we have is familiar, even when it is painful. An old friend of mine used to say that “we will only let go when the fear of change is less than the pain of staying the same.”
Wow! I am mindful of the tremendous good that comes whenever I let go. Think about it! What happens when we let go of using and drinking? Amazing life! And on it goes, forever.
Each episode of moving on with life brings such tremendous new things to us. When my husband died, I HAD to let go, even though I wanted to stay stuck in being with him and being married and never get out of bed again.
That was the story. It was not like that in fact. I imagined I could not go on living without him. In fact, I did and it was NOT the story I told myself. I still occasionally want to share something significant in my life with him, but have long-since realized that he is truly always with me. He already knows!
So, that shift has happened and I honor his presence in my life in many ways. But, wow! I would have missed SO MUCH GOOD STUFF if I had died when he did.
And I am so grateful for the courageous spirit I have that keeps me moving, even when the Screaming Purple Monkeys tell me to stand absolutely still and cling for dear life to something that is being removed. It has been a long time since I have had to have things or people of some part of my life ripped from my hands. I have learned to let go and keep letting go.
I seldom fear what is coming. I have a deep nature of curiosity and a love of surprise that has come as a result of being around you folks for these years. Life is good and rich and I want to always be available for its many shifting moods and flavors.
And I am not fond of the pond…I have always wanted the oceans and the many vistas of the world to be part of my experience.
For me, the greatest adventure is my solitude and my ability to do anything I want to do alone. That is something most folks don’t get to have that has always been a part of my journey. I love moving into new and different spaces where I can be and do and see and have whatever comes across my path. I would like to believe I will always be open to these big shifts.
Some of the changes in my life have felt like bad news. However, with each occurrence of something being taken that I deeply loved, I have been compensated with greater joy, greater peace and greater understanding and ability to love and embrace the unknown.
That was never part of the equation with drugs and alcohol. Life was very, very predictable…and, as they say in one 12-step group…”Jails, institutions and death.”
Dolphin Hug 