Surrender
Trying to maintain control in this life is like trying to maintain control on a roller coaster ride. The ride has its own logic and is going to go its own way, regardless of how tightly you grip the bar. There is a thrill and joy in simply surrendering to the ride and fully feeling the ups and downs of it rather than fighting them. When you fight the ride, resisting what’s happening at every turn, your whole being becomes tense and anxiety. When you go with the ride, accepting what you cannot control, freedom and joy will inevitably arise. As with so many seemingly simple things in life, it is not always easy to let go, even of the things we know we can’t control. Most of us feel a great discomfort with the givens of this life, one of which is the fact that much of the time we have no control over what happens. Sometimes this awareness comes only when we have a stark encounter with this fact, and all our attempts to be in control are revealed to be unnecessary burdens. W...