She let go.
She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear.
She let go of the judgments.
She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.
She let go of the committee of indecision within her.
She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons.
Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice.
She didn’t read a book on how to let go.
She didn’t search the scriptures.
She just let go.
She let go of all of the memories that held her back.
She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.
She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn’t promise to let go.
She didn’t journal about it.
She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.
She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.
She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.
She just let go.
She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.
She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.
She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.
She didn’t call the prayer line.
She didn’t utter one word.
She just let go.
No one was around when it happened.
There was no applause or congratulations.
No one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing.
Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort.
There was no struggle.
It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.
It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A small smile came over her face.
A light breeze blew through her.
And the sun and the moon shone forevermore…
by Safire Rose
A mindfulness classic, this poem by the spiritual life coach, facilitator and poet Safire Rose. How does it land with you?
I think it raises a very interesting question: what enabled her to let go? Some issues – or ‘holding ons’ – may be in place for years, decades even, and it can be hard to believe they will ever shift, despite practising with it, journaling on it, therapy about it etc. I found that there was a certain paradoxical comfort in dropping into a place of acceptance that ‘this might just be with me for the rest of this life’. And yet (or maybe because of that?) I’ve found that an unexpected letting go is possible (and ‘in the space of letting go, she let it all be’), and that a profound shift can happen in these same ancient issues that leave them as ‘not an issue anymore’. Wow, who’d have thought!
But what enables it? How come now, after all these years? Maybe it’s a bit like an apple, ripening on a tree branch. Until it drops it may feel like it never will, and there may be a real wisdom in accepting its hanging there. This is how it is, in this moment. But just because that’s how it is, doesn’t mean it will be like that forever. And you may find that for no discernible reason, one day, wholly and completely, letting go happens. And meanwhile, practising kindness and acceptance definitely won’t go amiss!
PS and what better place to practice kindness and acceptance than within a supportive group of fellow mindfulness and compassion practitioners? A recent feedback form from a participant in a weekend course in Samye Ling said ‘I gained so much more from being in a group setting than I thought was possible. Very helpful to have the support of others…’ There may be one just right for you in our list of upcoming courses or retreats!
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash