I sat next to the ocean for a picture perfect sunset on a cloudless day.
In front of me, the sea was engaged in a gentle dance with a big swath of kelp. With each wave forward, she tried to expel the kelp from her grasp and deliver it to the shore. As her wave rolled back, she swept up the kelp in her grasp as the kelp hung on.
On and on this went, wave after wave, as the sun sank slowly into the water against the backdrop of a clear blue sky and the tide brought the dance closer to my feet.
Was the ocean stalling in letting go of the kelp? Or was the kelp clinging to its habitat?
Only the keeper of nature knows. And doesn’t really matter.
It simply wasn’t time.
This is a mirror of our human experience.
Have you ever tried to let go of someone or something in your life, only to feel like that person or thing just won’t release?
A relationship. A mindset. A habit. A role you play. An aspect of your identity. Objects and things you no longer need.
Just when you think you’ve let it go, it appears again, along with the wave of intense emotion.
This thing is back? I thought I got rid of it.
The desire to let go of something may precede your ability to do it. This isn’t a defect on your part.
You aren’t broken. You don’t need to be fixed. There’s nothing wrong with you.
This is the way of nature.
Letting go happens in slow, small stages.
The ocean persists. Wave after wave, she dances with the kelp. Eventually, in it’s time, the kelp will release onto the shore.
You cannot release something before it’s time. Like a splinter buried deep under the skin, or a stubborn ingrown hair, sometimes you must wait for the thing to rise to the surface.
Follow the ocean’s lead. Breath after breath, with mindful awareness, bring attention to what you wish to release. Eventually it will release its grip on you.
Nature does not rush, yet everything gets accomplished. — Lao Tzu
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