Acceptance (Or The Art of Letting Go Without Giving Up) in Musings

The frustration and anger get me nowhere. The obsession with what “should be” and the constant wondering why people do (and don’t do) the things they do just leads to unhappiness. Common Sense. Accountability and Responsibility. Intelligence. Organizational Skills. An appropriate Hierarchy of Values. All woefully lacking in today’s world- and that particular train is heading in the wrong direction and picking up speed. I can’t do anything about it. I can’t change it and I can’t reason it away.
The focus has to be taken off what isn’t, and re-targeted towards what IS. Where do I find contentment and peace of mind? What pleases me? The quality of my life is dependent upon what I choose to see. What do I want to observe outside my personal little window on the world?
That doesn’t mean ignoring the unpleasantness and ugliness of life- I have no desire to bury my head in the sand. What it DOES mean is seeing things thru a more upbeat and positive lens- the magnet can draw in beauty and meaning if I allow it to, rather than the cynical, jaded disappointments that seem to always be in my line of vision.
Acceptance. Letting go of the clutter. I’ve always felt that those things meant I had hoisted the white flag in surrender. That I allowed the shittiness of life to defeat me. If I was outraged or scornful, it meant I still had fight in me- the core me was still intact down in there underneath the muck.
But, I was wrong. I’ve been clinging to nothing but misery. Acceptance isn’t defeat. Letting go isn’t surrender. They are a way forward. A way out. It’s time to start navigating with this new-found map, and see what roads are out there for me to explore.

Last updated April 06, 2018