Something has been happening this year to a lot of people who I have been speaking with. Things are ending. Things they never thought would end.
Is this anything new? I don’t know. Life is full of endings…and new beginnings. It’s always been that way—since the beginning of time, I suppose.
Buddhism states that all life is suffering due to the impermanence of everything.
Non-attachment is a useful skill. Easier said than done. We all want to feel we can count on someone and something to be there for us, especially in times of deep need.
I recently read the book, The Surrender Experiment, by Michael Singer. In this book he describes his decades-long practice of saying “yes” to people, circumstances and opportunities that entered his life whether or not his ego-mind wanted to say yes.
For example, he came home one day to find a woman building a house on his property. While he greatly valued his privacy and in no way wanted her there, he ended up helping her build the house. This lead to a valuable friendship and enriching experience for him.
Now, at the age of 71, he credits his amazingly successful and prosperous life to this practice of saying ”yes” to what life put in front of him—whether he liked it or not…
Hmmm. He’s a braver soul than me.
What fascinated me about the book was the theme that there is a plan at work for our lives if we can only get out of our own way and let it unfold.
Michael Singer’s practice to get out of his own way was to surrender to life’s opportunities and let go of his resistance to thinking he knew what was best for him.
My particular path involves more of a practice of listening to inner guidance to decipher my next steps forward. This may mean I don’t always say yes as Michael Singer apparently does.
In any case, both methods involve a practice of surrender and a trust that we are partnering with a bigger force than our own small minds.
When we have such a practice of surrender, life’s ending don’t feel so daunting. Perhaps they are meant to be. Perhaps they are leading us to our next stage of growth and opportunity.
Endings lead to new beginnings. It’s the way of life. Listen. Trust. Let go of the past. Say yes to what lies next…
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