Developing Usable Experiences

Letting things go, letting things play out

June 12th, 2007 10:47 pm —  898 views

balloon.jpg

It’s tough to let things go. Whether we’re talking about ideas, beliefs, memories, balloons, plans…sometimes letting anything go can be difficult. Maybe there are memories that you just can’t get past. Perhaps somebody wronged you and just thinking about it chaps your ass every time. Attachment is almost always the cause of suffering. Mental suffering at least. A stick in the eye hurts, regardless. That sort of pain isn’t what I’m talking about.

The pain I’m talking about is the pain that comes from expectations. From being attached to something in a way that isn’t healthy. I’m attached to things and suffer because of it. Does reminding myself help? Not immediately. But I’ve found that pondering attachment and reminding myself from time to time to let things go can help. A little bit at least.

There are things for which nothing can be done. I can’t help Reverend Randall with his lost garage. I can’t help my mother with the loss she feels about her babies growing up and moving on or the past that haunts her. I can’t help my friend that lost her father to a semi or the couple that lost their 3 year old girl last year. These things happened. That is the suck.

This is the year that I work on just letting things ride. As my mentor and analyst the Waltzing Bear says, “just let it play out.” As my wife is fond of saying, “It is what it is.”

As Tom Robbins said, “It is what it is, you are what you it, there are no mistakes.”

This picture was taken a couple years ago at my in-laws in Kalkaska. This balloons was from their 50th anniversary party. What a feeling to let a balloon go, so irretrievable and GONE.

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One Response to “Letting things go, letting things play out”

  1. Dawn King on June 14th, 2007 9:46 pm

    Thanks for taking on a little bit of everyone else’s loss. It really does help to share it. Just don’t let it all get to you. Take on a piece of the loss; you are right to then let it go. That’s the best way to help. You are helping, don’t think you aren’t.

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