Letting Go

Yesterday, a group member reminisced about a camping trip gone completely awry. After a black night of pouring rain and misfunctioning gear, a series of frustrating mishaps led him to become wedged in a car seat and unable to move. At that point he surrendered to the experience and felt joy. We listeners also found the story not sad and tragic, but uplifting, joyful and funny, identifying with the relief of finally letting go.

And so we add "letting go" to our list of grounds. Another member talked about the sense of "letting go" while sailing in the Caribbean, letting her guard completely down, feeling the experience in her entire body, allowing herself to be fully absorbed. Another talked about her work as a doctor, letting go into the functioning of the team and the needs of the patient. We have recognized many types of letting go, with many qualities such as acceptance, immersion, returning to what's important, shifting out of anger, relaxation, and appreciation. While "letting go" has some overlap with flow and connection, we feel that it will work well for us as a separate ground.

The counterpart to "letting go" is "holding back." We wonder if there is any way to hold back and still feel joy. It is a question for us to investigate.