Too tired to write any sensible words tonight so here are some of Mary OIiver's.
“to live in this world
you must be able
to do three things
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go”
― New and Selected Poems, Volume One
I used to think that letting go was something you did once and for all.
But for me it's like letting a tight ball of wool unravel through your fingers....and when you come to a knot you linger there a while ...unpicking it.....sometimes making another knot in the process....and then you let another soft strand fall to the ground ....pooling into a new, looser tangle at your feet....till you realise the ball is nearly spent and you just have the shadow memory, the light touch of the wool spooling through your fingers...not snagging on anything... or making you weep.
Such a subtle description of letting go - which can apply equally to grief and anger. One fears that by letting go one loses the object of the emotion but in fact all one lets go of is unhelpful ties. (Or at least that's how I've been seeing it recently.)
ReplyDeleteAnger or grief - yes. Unhelpful ties - yes such a good way to look at letting go...thank you dear Belinda. Xx
ReplyDelete