Dropping the Resistance…
“Always say ‘yes’ to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to what already is? Surrender to what is.” ― Eckhart Tolle
Yesterday, I found myself pushing to make things happen, to check off more items on my to-do list, and arrange appointments to fit my desired schedule.
After all this time, I still fall into this trap of resisting the way life is unfolding in front of me. But the good news was I caught myself doing it mid-afternoon, laughed, and surrendered to the reality of what the present moment was offering me.
Drawn to Mark Nepo’s classic, The Book of Awakening, I quickly found the essay that spoke to the sense of urgency I was attempting to address. Perhaps you’ve been here too, or are in the midst of fighting a battle you can’t win:
“When feeling like I can’t sit still, I need, more than ever, to sit still. When feeling like I will die if I don’t have your approval, I need, more than ever, to die to my need for your approval. What we need is always harshly and beautifully right before us, disguised in the wrapping of our nearest urgency. We just refuse to accept this because it feels so difficult to face.” ―Mark Nepo
Today is likely to be full of more opportunities to learn to drop the resistance. I may not always catch myself playing this futile game of trying to outsmart the present moment, but I sense awakening to the reality of what I’m doing again and again will ultimately pay off in more peace and less stress.
Where in your life are you resisting what’s showing up or attempting to cling to a sense of urgency, so you have an excuse to ignore reality and try to push through all resistance?
May you find the courage to slow down when you want to speed through all resistance, allowing the present moment to reveal what is calling to be healed.
“It’s not a matter of letting go, you would if you could. Instead of ‘Let it go,’ we should probably say ‘Let it be.’” ―Jon Kabat-Zinn
Letting Things Take Their Course
Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.
Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course,
He remains as calm
at the end as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire;
what he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of who they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.
― Tao Te Ching, translation by Stephen Mitchell, last two stanzas of chapter 64.
