Just Let It Be

"To let go does not mean to get rid of.  To let go

means to let be.  When we let be with compassion,

things come and go on their own."

Jack Kornfield

We lug around old emotional baggage as we think we are not ready to get rid of it.  We hang on,  thinking we will one day look at the memory and see things all healed and pretty.  Meantime, it disrupts our peace of mind and keeps us off balance. This is idealistic and faulty thinking that keeps us weighted down.  

To simply let be means we may not understand, may not be able to fix,  or may not be able to go back in time, but we are no longer going to be investing our time and energy into holding it emotionally captive, weighing on our minds.  We do not  have to resolve, judge, or take action, other than just pulling our emotions out of the memory bank. 

Think of an electrical outlet with numerous plugs hanging from it.  Each connection is draining energy and this is true of our emotional overload as well.  When we pull out a few plugs,  it frees up energy for other things.  We will not short circuit or break into flames of fire.

There are incidents in life  where we are most compassionate when we just let something be.  No intrusion, manipulation, or personal gain.  When we restrain ourselves from obsessing, we unplug from the emotional charge.  

We can visualize ourselves leaving our old memories or disturbing thoughts at the base of a tree or swirling out into the ocean.  Without our constant hovering, we will feel exceptionally better and wonder why we were dragging all of that old stuff around for so long!  With compassion, just let it be.