Letting Go

Imagine that you live on a boat, and that the boat is tied up to the shore. As you look out to sea, there's nothing but the horizon. Endless as far as the eye can see. Now because you've always lived on this boat, and because it's always been tied to the shore, the land feels very safe and familiar. Even if it presents many challenges. In contrast, although the ocean looks attractive, the idea of setting out without knowing exactly where you're going, or what you might encounter, might feel unnerving. But unless we untether the rope, unless we let go of the land, then we'll never know the spaciousness of the ocean, and we'll never realize our full potential. Very often in life we're tethered to the thinking mind. We're attached to a certain way of thinking, a certain storyline, old habits. We may not be at peace, (engine roars) but we convince ourselves that at least we have some security, we know where we are. But as we begin to meditate, we realize that if we're to let go, that means letting go of everything. We have to let go of our thoughts, (trash thuds in bathtub) put down our old storylines so that we can set off free from our old baggage. Sure, that means letting go of our sense of security, slowly, bit by bit. But our thoughts are here to come back to at any time we choose. More importantly though, we set out on a voyage of discovery, experiencing the limitless nature of mind. Learning to rest in uncertainty. And it's this direct experience of the ocean that can offer us a sense of meaning, adventure, fulfillment enjoying our life. (ocean waves shushing)...