With this energy of fall coming on, as the trees let go of their leaves and prepare for winter, I would like to talk about letting go and how important it is to cultivate the ability to let go. We live in a “fruit culture”, a culture that wants only to value the fruit and not the process it takes to produce fruit and not really the whole process of life and death.

Hence in our grocery stores we have all these fruit, many of which are grown out of season, and look ripe, look full and bright, but really they are lacking nutrition. In some cases, they’re harmful, causing strange and unknown side effects, even birth defects, etc. Similarly, though in a different way, we have on social media or in our neighborhoods people pretending that everything is perfect, pumping out endless accomplishments, endless “produce”, and yet we know that beneath all that is a severe lack of nutrition in one form or another.

Not to dismiss the importance of achievements, being productive, producing fruits. Without fruits and accomplishments and visible deeds we’d all be starving! And to deny the importance of these would be like dismissing the importance of spring, which of course, is a lovely time of year.

It’s only to say that letting go, going inward, reassessing one’s path or one’s goals, is also a kind of accomplishment. It is equally important to the ability to achieve goals.

How many of us, or how much of our lives is spent chasing the same things again and again and again, catching them even, and yet feeling dissatisfied? We may think we’re doing things differently with each iteration—be it the job we are chasing, the girl/guy, the title, the love or appreciation of others, the likes or comments on our online accounts, whatever it may be. But often it is the same thing we are chasing each time, only with a slightly different disguise.

What if our whole approach is misguided? We’re like a mouse running through a maze when our true life lives well outside that maze. How can we wake up to greater possibilities, or to realizing goals and paths that will fulfill us and will be sustainable?

We have to learn to let go! We have to learn to pause. We have to learn to reassess.

But I’ve done so much work! I’ve done so much towards making this work! This is all I know, all I’ve trained in, all I’ve devoted my life to…

Sometimes we’ve spent a lot of time living in service to goals and people and ideals that were not ours and were never going to fulfill us. To let go of this (which is difficult even if we can kind of admit that it is not ideal), would be to admit all the wasted time we have spent.

And to some extent it has been wasted…

But to another extent, if we really open up to new possibilities, if we have courage and humility to admit our wrong, then we’ll realize it was not wasted at all. This is because we will accomplish letting go. An accomplishment equally important, equally impressive to the production of any juicy fruit. Doing so can only set us up to produce even juicier fruit in the future. Because if we were able to produce fruit going against the current and operating outside of what is really natural for us, just think how much easier and also more productive it will be when we’re more aligned—with nature, who we should be, etc.

We won’t lose our ability to accomplish goals. We will merely head towards goals that are more meaningful, more fulfilling, more valuable, and more sustainable. We’ll be happier as we do, more secure, more everything!

So yes, fall is an important and special time. Let’s learn a little from it.

(And yes I am a little frustrated with our culture. I am a little frustrated with my lack of fruit. But I have to just trust in nature, and trust in myself. Patience can be challenging to learn, but I’m glad I’m learning it.)

Some questions for reflection/journaling:

• Is there anything I am letting go of right now?
• What goals did I strive towards in the past and reach that left me feeling unfulfilled? How can I let go of this pattern? What was the underlying emotional need that I was trying to satisfy?
• How can I cultivate more active and joyful rest? How can I better nourish myself?

Hope you all have a great week. Feel free to leave a comment, a like, or subscribe. 🍂