Jack Kornfield once wrote:
"Letting things go does not mean to get rid of them. Letting them go means to let them."
Why is it so hard to let something go? whether it is a desire, a
personality trait, a human quirk, a good friend, a dying family member, a
habit, a resentment, a relationship, a cherished piece of clothing, a lack of
faith, a style of communication or a (fill in the blank).... and the list goes
on and on...
I found this historic, but relevant analogy helpful when thinking about
the behavior involved in not letting something go...
"Tie a coconut to a tree, hollow it and put some rice in it. The hole in
the coconut should just be large enough for a monkey to put its hand in it. The
monkey will grasp the rice but meanwhile its hand has gotten so big, that it
can’t pull it hand out anymore. But it wants to hold on to the rice no matter
what and thus it remains captured."
A conclusive comment by Havelock Ellis seems appropriate: "All the
art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on."
Until next time...
 |
| Ecola State Park, Oregon - one of my favorite places! |
No comments:
Post a Comment