Holding On

There are certain times in life that the only way to get through a situation is to just let go. To let go of what you thought it would be, what you want to get out of it, and how it affects your daily life.

I have been here in India working at this children's home for about 3 weeks and I have been clinging not only to the many preconceptions of what I hoped it would be, but also to basic things like personal space and free/alone time. I have been desperately holding on to these ideas and this in turn has made dealing with my troubles of being here that much more difficult.

It wasnt until I let go of all of this that I began to really be at peace with being here. Not until I gave up my constant and very strong desire for personal space and alone time was I able to address each situation more calmly and less frustrated, making me more at peace with being here and more loving toward the people who are constantly surrounding me.

I think we all tend to do this. We hold on so tight to what we want out of a situation that when it doesn't deliver these requests we find ourselves frustrated and short-tempered.

At work, at home, with family, with friends. We begin to be filled with resentment and unerlying anger toward each situation and the people involved. This leads to comlpete counter-productivity and is very dangerous for our hearts. But if we only were able to slowly let go of all the different expectations and ideas that we cling so tight to we would be able to let each situation be what it is. The reality of the situation would be in our present mind instead of some dream idea of what we conceive it to be.

It has taken me nearly all of 3 weeks to know and be okay with the fact that the only time I will be physically alone is when I go to the bathroom. I had to let go. I now see this is a very simple example but I think the idea can be applied to the smallest and largest aspects of our lives.

We have to be able to adjust, to evolve our minds to whatever phyiscal or mental situation we are in. Only when we do this are we able to experience the truth and meaning of what we are presently involved in and understand and learn from it.