Let them, just let them
This will be a short blog. I came across a video lately that really moved me and wanted to write about it. It came at a time when I needed to hear the message and it hit me so hard that before I knew it I had started crying… I guess there was something about the words, about the lady’s voice. And maybe this is why I write, because there are some things I feel so, so deeply, and I am often amazed by how skillfully and beautifully some people’s writing can capture them. I see the impact words can have, in speech, in writing, and in melody. Through my blogs, I try to describe my feelings and experiences as well as I’m able to.
There are always going to be things going on all around us. Small things, big things. There are some things we should address, maybe for our basic well being or fundamentals of daily life. And then there are things that will most likely not change whether or not we spend all day thinking about them. We can choose to let them change everything for us, or we can let them be. That’s not to say we ignore them. We acknowledge them but simply choose to exercise caution in our response.
Unfortunately, it’s not always clear whether something is the first case or the second. I’m very used to looking at myself first for things I could do better, but in reality there might be something greater than what I could control that’s driving an issue. If I’m hyper aware that the main cause is not me, I would probably take a different approach, and with a different kind of expected outcome. When I skip the step of looking at the bigger picture neutrally, I could invest way too much energy than it’s worth, and create unnecessary amount of stress for myself. In other words, if I treat everything as something that falls on me to solve or improve, then…life is simply too painful. I could get so overwhelmed that I paralyze myself from taking any actions.
The past few months have been rough, and I’m having to reevaluate whether I’m spending my energy in places that will make a true and meaningful difference in the situation. It’s easy to fall into old patterns so I’m doing my best to pause and think. I’m still learning how to make the distinction between things I should worry about and things I should let go of, but it’s an important process. When done well, I truly believe it can lead me to a healthier and happier life, because by learning to lose some control, I can actually take some control back in my own life.
