As we age, it becomes apparent that we must create new
lives. Will we change careers, begin
retirement, travel, downsize or stay where we are? What often comes with that are the fears
associated with making those choices. We
begin to worry about money, our family, our health, where we should live,
should we settle down or roam the world.
When we were raising our families, those decisions seemed to
be made for us - we must keep a job, take care of the children with all of the
responsibility that entails. There was very
little free time and what there was usually consisted of weekends or once a
year family vacation and then back to the routine.
Now, in our 60s we
have to make a conscious choice about what we want in our lives.
Our work is not to make something happen but to learn how to
let it reveal itself. It is that time in
our lives when we have the opportunity to allow the soft flowing of events to
become clear to us and then follow the path that has the most meaning in our
lives.
It can be very easy to remain in our old patterns, letting
familiar circumstances drive our daily lives.
If we look more closely, we realize that we are entering a brand-new
chapter and are being given a tremendous gift.
The possibility, maybe for the first time, to do something just for
ourselves.
For many of us, as this realization sinks in, we employ the
same principles of how to get things done – we take action. What is really ironic about this concept, is
that the harder we try to make anything happen the less likely it is to turn
out in a way that is pleasing to us.
If we can learn to
let go we will discover things that we never thought possible.
Letting go is much easier said than done. We are taught our entire lives that we must
work and struggle in order to get things accomplished. That hard work is the only way to achieve the
results we desire. Always trying to
control external circumstances is exhausting and in the end never really
possible. We cannot control anything
outside of our own self so that is where the work must be done.
That is why so many spiritual teachers advocate practices
like Meditation, Mindfulness, Yoga, Prayer and Journaling. Anything that allows our conscious mind to
relax and release resistance will provide benefits in all areas of our
lives. Just like any other skill, we
must learn to develop techniques that work for us. This is not a one-size fits all solution so we
must do what feels right for us personally.
It doesn’t matter
where you start, you just have to begin.
Like everything else, it is very easy to approach this as
something else to manage or control.
Trying to unlearn that is the most difficult thing I will ever do in my
life. Even now, after many years of
practicing many aspects of letting go or allowing, I find myself slipping back
into my old habits. It is important for
me to do something each day, even for just a few minutes, to reclaim my balance
and continue forward.
What works best for me is to keep it simple and find those
things that bring me joy. Sometimes it
is writing in my journal or going for a walk.
Other days it is playing with my grandchildren or planning a trip to
some faraway place. It really doesn’t
matter what it is, all that matters is that you find ways to release the
anxiety and tension so that you can learn to experience the peace that comes
from just being in the world.
With that peace comes an unfolding of events that we never
could have planned. Bringing to us those
very things we thought we had to chase after.
It is ultimately more satisfying to have everything we desire come to us
in the perfect way and at the perfect time than to try to manipulate or coerce
it.
For me, appreciation is a key factor in everything I
do. I am grateful for what I already
have in my life and look forward to whatever new surprise is on the
horizon. I always trust that something wonderful
is about to happen and my only job is to relax and enjoy it.
How do you relax and let go? Do you do anything differently now that you are older? Have you had any experiences with how something occurred after releasing control? Share your stories and join the conversation!
