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| Photo by Charles "Beautyseer" Elliott |
Even the beautiful flower must let go of its petals. When
the petals are no longer needed they simply fall away. Letting go is like that.
It’s a natural process. It’s a necessary process. When we let go, so much more
can happen. The fruit of our being can grow.
I’m still learning to do this with grace, but I understand
more than ever that letting go of everything allows things to fall into their
proper place. It’s true when I write, and in my creative life it has become
easier than it once was. It’s also true in life. That’s where I have trouble
letting go. I hold onto those petals, the things I know.
The ways of doing and seeing that feel comfortable can block
what is yet to come. And there is always a “yet to come” in life and beyond. Even
if you believe there is nothing beyond the physical, your body will transform
and become the earth and the plants and the air. Even the fruit is not the
point. It is all ever becoming.
To hold onto anything is to block this natural process and
flow. Sometimes we even try to make things fit where they don’t belong. But we
will discover there is magic in letting go. Look at the flower. The flow…er. Its
name reminds us that it is just one stage in a process. Once it’s been
fertilized it knows it’s time to move on and become the fruit that holds the
seed of its continuation. But it’s not just the seed that holds promise. Those
dropped petals become food for the plants all around. When we let go of things
they can then find their next true place. When we let go of old ways and
thoughts the next stage of our growth can take place.
The irises in the front garden are huge and lovely. Their
petals stand tall and announce life with their color and shape. I can stare at
them for hours. Each one is a beacon and has a purpose. Beyond reasons of
reproduction though, each iris seems to be here to share its beauty and remind
us to look closely, for its existence is brief.
The iris pictured above will soon become seed. And so the process
continues. There is no end to the becoming. But while I’m in this moment with
this flower, I glimpse eternity.
