letting go

I struggle, as I assume most all of us do, with letting go.  Not only do I struggle with letting go, I struggle with that phrase.  What the hell does it mean anyway?  How is that even humanly possible?

A couple weeks ago, though, I realized that, for me, it's largely the idea of letting go of expectations.  I need to stop expecting certain things to happen and just be present in what's happening now.  It's all part of my letting go of control, moving through things, not holding expectations for what might happen, what that might mean, and all that.

And then, tonight I read this amazing essay on just the same thing, written so amazingly better than I ever could have.  Here's a bit:

Take your expectations, and throw them in the ocean.

Picture all the expectations you have for yourself, your life, your spouse, your kids, your coworkers, your job, the world. Take them from inside you, and toss them in the ocean. A river or lake will also do.
What happens to them? They float. They’re carried around by waves. The current takes them out, and they drift away. Let them be washed away by the cleansing waters, and let them go.
Now live your life without them.
What’s a life without expectations like? It means you accept reality as it is, and people as they are, without expectations, without trying to force people into the containers you have for them, seeing things as they are. It’s a life where you don’t need to be disappointed or frustrated or angry — or if you are, you accept it, and then let it go. 

from Zen Habits : Leo Babauta