Letting Go

I recently heard a song on the radio that came out when I was in my thirties, although as I listened, it seemed much older than that. It seemed like something that was around when I was in my teens. The song was Neil Sedaka’s Breaking Up is Hard to Do, and it had a kind of upbeat sound to it, when in fact breaking up is anything but upbeat.

The same is true of letting go, which is something I’ve been trying to do for a while now. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from past experiences, it’s that letting go is a process, and one that involves not "unloving" but allowing.

I’ve learned, too, that once I’ve let go of something – or someone – I’ve felt much freer than I did when I was holding on so desperately. Letting go also means making room for something new because life is full of surprises.

One of the things I’ve been using to help me get through this process is a poem I found on the Insight Timer app on my phone. It’s a poem presented as a meditation read by John Siddique and written by Rev. Safire Rose.

It’s titled She Let Go, and it goes like this:

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...Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, 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.

My memoir, Dear Elvis, can be found at http://amzn.to/2uPSFtE.

The Seven Affirmations

Every morning, as I’ve mentioned before, I wake up, pick up my phone and listen to a guided meditation I found on an App called the Insight Timer. I’ve been so delighted with the seven affirmations contained in a meditation called Morning Meditation with Music by Jonathan Lehmann, I’ve been wanting to share them with you. So, here they are:

1). I make plans, but I remain flexible and open to the surprises that life has in store for me. I try to say yes as often as possible.

2). I cultivate patience, and by doing so I also cultivate self-confidence.

3). I welcome the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and I do not let myself be guided by fear.

4). I love myself unconditionally because it is essential to my happiness. I love the person that I am and I do not need other people’s approval to love myself fully.

5). I am going to drink water, eat fruits and vegetables, walk, take the stairs, exercise. Today I’m giving love to my body.

6). I give everywhere I go, even if it’s only a smile, a compliment or my full attention. Listening is the best gift I can give to those around me.

7). I try to be impeccable with my word and to speak only to spread positivity. It is counterproductive to my happiness to speak against myself or against others.

Listening to this meditation has helped me immensely lately. Sometimes I feel as though I have been driving down a road too quickly, not paying attention to the signs, and suddenly I am lost. Meditation helps me find my way back. It helps me feel grounded and safe.

Dear Elvis, my story about loss and grief, written as a series of letters to the king, is available at amzn.to/2uPSFtE