Mid-afternoon. Second day.
I was planning to make a start on writing this article yesterday. I had some time set aside in my diary. For me this is a luxury in a busy life. I relish looking at an empty space, time set aside to write.
I overslept slightly. I don’t like oversleeping, especially when I have things that I want to do, but I was not going to beat myself up for it, and of course there was no rush. There were no client appointments in my diary. I was master of my own day.
The plan was to spend a little time on paperwork and other chores, and then get on with the main business of writing this article, the suggested theme being Surrender.
So, a bit later than usual, I sat down at my desk.
And then the phone rang. That conversation took a little while, and no sooner had I put the phone down than it rang again. That conversation also took a little while. Then something else happened, which involved me putting on my coat and popping out.
And so, the day went on. Each time I sat down to begin, there was another interruption, or another urgent thing to attend to.
Until by late afternoon, feeling by then quite tired, and knowing I was going out in the evening, I gave up. After all, I thought, I had the luxury of a second day set aside for writing projects. There would be plenty of time, and even though we had a guest coming round early in the morning for coffee, I didn’t expect them to stay long.
I finally bid a fond farewell to our guest after an impromptu late lunch.
Time at last to write.
So here I am, mid-afternoon of the second day. The second day of the precious time I had put aside, and still very much at the beginning.
But I must hand it to The Universe. What a gift. What a great theme for this piece.
Because my all plans and intentions have simply been swept away in the flow of life. My life and other people’s lives. Life in all its complicated, wonderful, funny, messiness.
A tide of life that I simply had to go along with.
What a wonderful lesson I have been offered in letting go.
When I manage to see my life like this, then instead of feeling frustrated, angry, depressed, or any one of a myriad of other negative emotions, I can accept that setbacks do not have to be all bad. I can ask how I can learn from this experience. I can let go and embrace life, whatever it brings. I can appreciate and enjoy, learn, and grow, and relax into the flow of life.
There’s a well-known quote that I regularly come across. “Life is what happens when we are busy making other plans” This has been widely attributed to John Lennon, who used it in his song “Beautiful Baby”, but quite a few others seem to have used it before him.
No matter. Whoever came up with it was sharing a real pearl of wisdom.
Does this mean that we needn’t even bother to make plans? That we should simply surrender and let life happen to us?
Of course not.
For me, life is all about making my effort, and doing the best I can in my own personal circumstances.
Life is about planning, and succeeding, but also about being OK when we fail, because we understand that, to learn, we sometimes need to get things wrong. That this part of the learning process of life, and that it’s OK.
It’s also about being OK when our plans don’t work out because we are able to accept that the Universe might have a different plan for us, a plan that, from our limited perspective as human beings, we are not able to understand.
So, I try to do the best I can, and then let go and trust the Universe. Sometimes the best I can do, or be, on that day, is absolute rubbish. And that’s OK. That’s OK, because the Universe is larger, more loving and understanding, than we could ever possibly imagine. Much more loving and forgiving than we are to ourselves.
Surrender is not weakness. Surrender is empowering. It enables us to live a life aligned to our own souls’ purpose and plan. That can bring true fulfilment, joy and contentment
. What a great Leela.
“What on earth is a Leela?” I can hear you thinking to yourself, unless of course you have some knowledge of aspects of the Hindu religion, where the concept originates.
For me Leela is the Great Game of Life. The game in which we are all players, guided and coached by the Divine in one form or another. Guided with great love and compassion.
Experiencing a Leela means a personalised interaction with the Divine play.
Article by More to Life Elder – Kate Quartermaine
Article published in More to Life – Edition 65
