“Can you really let go?” I asked myself this question today when I left my son a long message on Facebook telling him I was basically “cutting the apron strings” and letting him handle his own stuff. To a great extent, I have not choice but to let go; he’s in Germany. I can’t help him much. But my inclination is to ask questions, prod, push, advise, try to fix–even from a distance. Yet, I can’t really “make” him do anything or handle anything. So, it’s time to let go.
That still leaves the question: Can I do it?
I hope so.
There are so many times in our lives when we really need to let go. Or when we simply need to back up and let things progress on their own orr remove ourselves from the situation until we can gain perspective. But that can be pretty hard to do. I know. I tend to jump right in there. I want to say something, do something, fix something, find a solution. I react rather than respond–even though I know better.
It’s so much better to let go…and let God. To take a deep breath, go inside, ask for guidance. Or simply…let it go. Don’t do anything.
Of course, there are some instances when you must do something. But we don’t necessarily need to do anything about someone else’s life. That’s a hard lesson for a mother to learn, let me tell you!
There are other things to let go of as well–our attachments to what we think outcomes should look like, for example, or how people should act. Expectations–about anything.
All of this requires practice…work.
I tell you all of this not because I am the master of it by any means. I have to work at it. I need to learn it. I have to figure out how to do it, too. As I said, I’m asking myself the question I ask you: Can you really let go?
What do you need to let go of…and can you do it?
Photo courtesy of Phaitoon
