Surrender
“Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose”—from Me and Bobby McGee, written by Kris Kristofferson
Refusal to surrender is often touted as important by motivational speakers. One must hold fast to one’s hopes and dreams to actualize them, the thinking goes. But what about accepting what is, what about respecting the moment, what about developing a sense of wonder regarding what life is offering right now?
Can we hold intentions, hopes, dreams, and goals while letting go of our attachments to these ideas of ours? Letting go of attachment to certain outcomes is a part of surrender. Saying yes to the present moment is how we surrender to what is, rather than yearning for what isn’t. Giving up what no longer serves us is also an aspect of surrender. And both silence and solitude are helpful practices when inviting surrender.
Yesterday, I traveled to the “path of totality” in Northern Vermont. I was, predictably, awestruck. What I experienced far exceeded my expectations. Being open to wonder led me, and many others, to a new experience that we never could have dreamed up. Photos of other eclipses, while enticing, offered little semblance to what we witnessed first-hand in sunny, warm, northern Vermont yesterday. Spring has arrived, bursting forth like a bud after an endless winter, as it typically does in Vermont…but this year with special effects.
Often, as we pursue dreams that we are convinced will make us happy, we miss what the present has to offer.
Today’s prompt: what have you done lately to stay present? What do you do to make sure you are not missing the best that life has to offer while moving forward towards goals? How do you create balance between actualizing your dreams and living in the moment