Whisper Words of Wisdom…Let It Be
A number of years ago, I had the privilege of seeing a wonderful therapist. She was a tiny Indian woman with a British accent, my own small Buddha. At the time, my life was pretty messy and my anxiety level was incredibly high.
I would describe situation after situation to her that I was desperately trying to fix, but failing. And in all sincerity, she would look at me and ask, “could you just let this be?” And then, complete with gentle hand motions, she would ask, “could you just let this open like a flower?”
I remember staring at her incredulously, unblinking, and thinking to myself, “have you even been paying attention?! What about me makes you think that I could just let anything be?”
I’d like to say that 5+ years later I am a master at letting things be, but that would be profoundly untrue. However, with years of practice, I now have awareness; sometimes I try to let things be (especially things that aren’t my responsibility), and I succeed every now and then. And sometimes I still can’t stop myself from worrying or trying to fix things and make them “right.” While I am better than I used to be, I still have plenty of room for improvement.
Recently someone asked about my “PSA.” He wanted to know if I was in the Problem (future), the Solution (past), or taking Action (the present). Of course, the present is where it’s at, and I was excited at the prospect of taking action – until I realized that “letting it be” was the right action to take.
There’s a lot of peace in letting it be, but the truth is, it’s hard. As you practice, be gentle with yourself and know you won’t always succeed. Hopefully, the small moments of serenity you do achieve – even in tough times – will keep you motivated to keep trying.
What do you need to stop trying to fix? What’s the thing that you really need to let be? What could you let “open like a flower?!”
“There will be an answer, let it be…” — The Beatles
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