Aside from the periodic thought provoking article or YouTube share, substance is typically lacking on my newsfeed.
With that, I’ve become conditioned to expect a few general items when opening up my Facebook: events that I’ve only metaphorically promised to attend, the same crop top/maxi skirt outfit in every color and fabric known to man, and enough Buzzfeed articles to defeat the purpose of going on the website itself (you already know how we feel about this epidemic). It’s just safer to never expect substance, but every now and then my Facebook notifications provide a little more than I bargained for. The other day a friend of mine unexpectedly graced my timeline with a quote, its discovery taking place during my almond or peanut butter debate at Publix.
“To let go means to give up coercing, resisting, or struggling, in exchange for something more powerful and wholesome which comes out of allowing things to be as they are without getting caught up in your attraction to or rejection of them, in the intrinsic stickiness of wanting, of liking and disliking.”- Jon Kabat-Zinn
With peanut butter as my witness, I experienced a mild epiphany in aisle 11.
Every day we’re presented with countless choices. They fall at random on the spectrum of priority, ranging from whether you want Bento or Chickfila for dinner, or if you should accept the internship of your dream job in New York City. Every move you make, even the most insignificant, is a decision. Try not to let the reality of it overwhelm you (because whether you’ve noticed or not) this has been the drill your entire life.
At this point we can call ourselves professionals, but even the most seasoned of professionals need practice. Let me ask you this: how often do you consciously recognize what drives you toward one decision and away from another? How often do you let yourself listen to the noisy chatter in your head? Let me direct you back to exhibit A, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s beautiful quote. That noisy chatter (once you reveal its true identity) are your preferences, and they are the dictators of your decisions. They used to pressure me to chase moderation, the delicate balance between your preferences and making the what feels like the right choice, but that chase has no end in sight.
I’ve stopped looking for moderation. Instead, I’ve found my flow.
Accepting things as they are isn’t about becoming a passive and lackluster blob. Actually, finding your flow is the very opposite of that. It’s about embracing the raw unfolding of life; learning to recognize the beauty of every moment. I’ve recently discovered that life can be so much sweeter when you choose to let go of the things that your preferences can’t control. The weather, your car breaking down, other peoples’ behavior… the list is pretty much endless. It’s possible to unglue yourself from the stickiness of needing, wanting, and disliking.
It’s possible to just let life be.
Photo courtesy of: The Huffington Post
