Letting go used to be something I couldn’t do, everything and everyone around me had to be exactly right, exactly how I wanted them to be. This led me down a very dark road, when things didn’t go my way then that would fuel my negative thoughts, my inner dialogue would then torment me so much, like a back seat driver, the only way to silence it was to drink to blackout. I have now let go of the steering wheel all together, letting my higher power drive, and accepted that life’s journey is not mine to solely navigate according to my directions, I’m just a passenger onboard the plant sized bus with the rest of the world. Since letting go and enjoying the ride I’m no longer filling up my pain tank, my mind has a lot more leg room for amazing things, and I’m seeing all the beautiful scenery of life.
Buddhism centres on escaping suffering, not by eliminating life’s hardships, but by understanding their root cause. Craving and clinging to impermanent things, like pleasure or material possessions, and trying to control what isn’t yours to control, all lead to dissatisfaction. The following Buddhist one liner puts this perfectly for me.
“The more you try to control something, the more it controls you.”
This speaks to the idea that clinging to control is the source of all suffering, and it certainly was for me.
Fisted fingers loosen grip,
Steering wheel, a foreign ship.
Surrender whispers in my ear,
"Let go, my love, let go, my dear."
A passenger, a curious guest,
In someone else's journey blessed.
No longer dictating turns,
Just watching landscapes gently burn.
Signs I missed in grasping tight,
Now dance in sunlit morning light.
Whispers of leaves in leafy breeze,
Butterfly wings on pollened trees.
Beauty blooms where shadows hid,
In every crack, on every lid.
The world unfurls in vibrant hues,
As I release and start to choose.
To choose to see, to choose to feel,
The present moment, ever real.
No longer captain, but a guide,
Enjoying the ride, side by side.
