SOMETIMES, LETTING GO IS A DAILY PRACTICE

Sometimes, letting go is a daily practice. It’s waking up every day taking one mindful exhale after the other, fully knowing that you will breathe this way all throughout the day, exactly how you were meant to, one exhale at a time.

Every exhale is a part of a bigger picture. Every time you let go of anything at all — no matter how small — is a part of a larger story. A story where you are beginning to discover and rediscover what happens when you let go.

When you let go, you are releasing tension. If you’ve ever been nervous before going on stage or before a big test and then you feel much less tense later on, then understand this process of letting things out and moving through a process is a kind of exhale on its own. You may have entered into the experience thinking about everything that could go wrong, and afterwards, when it’s over, there is this space in between.

It’s easy to overlook these moments of letting go because they happen in in-between spaces. Having a moment where we’re able to breathe or let go isn’t something that is going to remain static. But that doesn’t mean they don’t matter. And that doesn’t mean you can’t look back on them with gratitude for the ways you’ve been learning to let go all throughout your life.

Of course, this is anything but easy, but what matters is that you remember all the ways you have been practicing and how this is something you can continue to build upon. What matters is that when you begin to pay attention to the small ways you are letting go in your daily life. Observe these moments and let them teach you for the bigger moments of letting go.

Here are three examples of the kind of moments you can look for:

1 - Notice where you take a deep breath. Why did you suddenly feel like you could do that in that moment? Was there something that reminded you to breathe, or, did you naturally let yourself exhale.

2 - Think about the last time you said something like this and really meant it: “You know what? It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” What led to you saying this? What have you learned along the way in your life that helped you let go?

3 - Observe the moments where you find it easy to get rid of something or give it away. What made it possible for you to give that away? Why do you think it came naturally to you?

These are examples of the kind of small moments you can identify in your daily life. Of course, they are small things that may not change the course of your life, but within them, you might just find lessons on what it means to let go in your life. You might just find examples for what this looks like within the bigger picture of your life.

So in those moments where letting go feels like too much, remember, it’s a practice…and it’s likely a practice you’ve already been building upon in your life. Keep practicing and let it grow into a continual practice of release, and a way of living with surrender.

More tomorrow…
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols