Right now I am immersed in a sea of change, so what better time to really focus on “transition.”
The key seems to be “letting go” and being open to the new, which is not a new idea at all. What can be new perhaps, is how we view letting go. I think the most common view of letting go often evokes a sense loss; relinquishing something: a position, an object, a relationship, or some other cherished thing.
I recently read a wonderful book written by Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
In this book, Kondo invites her readers and clients to step into the magic of truly loving everything with which you choose to surround yourself. The more stuff we have, the less able we are to truly savour each and every thing. As I read her book, I could literally feel the joy springing from the pages as she describes the process of letting go of things. She also encourages sincere appreciation of everything you release, and the wish for it to find a great new home. Okay I know this sounds a little corny but let me ask you this—how much do you consciously appreciate all the “things” that you use, wear, touch, smell, or taste?
I found this a great perspective for looking at what makes up my daily life. For example, I have been surrounded with boxes, filled with “stuff.” Could I really appreciate even the boxes that hold all my things? Could I open each box and be intrigued with what was inside and ready to see what I could released and what brought me such joy that I wanted to keep it?
Letting go requires us to be in the present. It requires us to check inside and notice what we actually feel in the moment… not what we felt in the past, or might feel in the future… but feel right now. It requires honesty, sometimes gut wrenching honesty, to really acknowledge what isn’t serving us, or working very well any more. This applies to more than just things, too… it applies to who we actually have thought we were.
I was recently reading an article by Marianne Williamson, and she wrote about discovering who we really are. These lines caught my attention: “When you are young, you can’t really imagine the ages of 50, 60, 70 being cool. Actually it often takes that long to understand what cool really means. Finding out who we actually aren’t, we begin to learn at last who we actually are.”
This is all about transitions, transitioning from one perspective of ourselves to another, from one job, one home or one relationship to another. Each transition requires a letting go, and a stepping into something new. Can we do this with grace and ease? That’s the real question.
I encourage you to reflect on what traps you—what are you holding onto that does not really bring you joy, and what are you resisting that is stopping flow in your life.
Have a great week, and I will report in on how I am doing with all the transitions I am experiencing.
Until next time…