275 Marbles
You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
Jon Kabat-Zinn
About ten years ago I was visiting my parents when they were still in their house. I had forgotten to bring a book so I checked out my mother’s bookshelf and found “Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul” - not my usual reading material but I was desperate. In it, I recall reading a story about a woman who gave birth to a child with Down syndrome. She told the story of how she had anticipated the birth of her baby but when her child was born, she discovered her baby had the genetic condition stemming from an extra chromosome. She found the life adjustment similar to planning a trip to France, learning French, anticipating French food only to find herself landed in Spain. Upon arrival, she found the country just as beautiful, but not in line with her expectations. She quickly changed gears and learned Spanish while enjoying sangria and paella.
I found her resilience particularly inspiring as I have a personal tendency to hold onto things, including expectations. Yet life has a tendency to act as travel agent and pilot (and pesky baggage-losing handler), and quite often paths will change mid-flight. My curiosity, post breakup, is what would it take to be able to take these re-routes with greater ease? What would it take to learn to let go and go with the flow?
When I ask these questions, I picture a surfer learning to ride the wave. I’m not a surfer, but I imagine that aside from the obvious balance of staying on the board, there is the discernment of choosing which wave to ride whilst continually adjusting to what the wave throws your way. Just like life there is choice and the resilience of riding the wave, Perfect equilibrium.
Can I let go of all the waves that have broken and just ride the wave that’s under my feet? Can I learn to choose to ride the waves that will bring me joy?
You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
Jon Kabat-Zinn
About ten years ago I was visiting my parents when they were still in their house. I had forgotten to bring a book so I checked out my mother’s bookshelf and found “Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul” - not my usual reading material but I was desperate. In it, I recall reading a story about a woman who gave birth to a child with Down syndrome. She told the story of how she had anticipated the birth of her baby but when her child was born, she discovered her baby had the genetic condition stemming from an extra chromosome. She found the life adjustment similar to planning a trip to France, learning French, anticipating French food only to find herself landed in Spain. Upon arrival, she found the country just as beautiful, but not in line with her expectations. She quickly changed gears and learned Spanish while enjoying sangria and paella.
I found her resilience particularly inspiring as I have a personal tendency to hold onto things, including expectations. Yet life has a tendency to act as travel agent and pilot (and pesky baggage-losing handler), and quite often paths will change mid-flight. My curiosity, post breakup, is what would it take to be able to take these re-routes with greater ease? What would it take to learn to let go and go with the flow?
When I ask these questions, I picture a surfer learning to ride the wave. I’m not a surfer, but I imagine that aside from the obvious balance of staying on the board, there is the discernment of choosing which wave to ride whilst continually adjusting to what the wave throws your way. Just like life there is choice and the resilience of riding the wave, Perfect equilibrium.
Can I let go of all the waves that have broken and just ride the wave that’s under my feet? Can I learn to choose to ride the waves that will bring me joy?
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