Put Down The Potatoes

The morning is quiet with only the sound of the air conditioner humming away. I am sitting here anticipating the day ahead. Wondering where the day will take me, both emotionally and physically. There is a saying; “Don’t anticipate…participate.” Do I follow that today, or do I try to figure out every last detail to somehow prepare myself for what’s ahead? Obviously, life does what it does and we can never really be prepared for what lies in store for us at any given moment let alone hours, days, or weeks. Plus, it’s way too exhausting to plan for everything…don’t you think? Maybe just for today, I will roll with whatever comes my way. Just take life as it comes, both at work and in real life. But how do I do that, how do I shut down the mechanism inside of me that wants to be in control? Why is the concept of letting go so intimidating to so many of us? I guess it all boils down to faith. Faith in those around us, God, and maybe the hardest of them all, ourselves. Maybe it’s just a trust issue? They say: “Those that don’t trust can’t be trusted” It’s an interesting phrase but I’m not sure I believe it wholeheartedly. Hopefully, we base our core beliefs on our experiences, and truth, and not just on the roller coaster of emotion we can experience in this life. Unfortunately, people can give us good reason not to have faith in them because of their moral behavior, or lack of moral principles. I have found that we as humans have all failed, we are all flawed. It is our curse in the sense that we are human, but it is not a license for bad and destructive behavior. We can all improve ourselves, regardless of age, it’s never too late. So right now for me on the journey of life, I am struggling to let go. It sounds so simple, just open your hand and let go of the things you are holding onto so tightly. If it falls and breaks…get a new one. If it falls and lands at your feet, it was meant to be there all along, without your fingerprints all over it. I think of the man that was carrying a 50-pound sack of potatoes into town to sell at the market. The town was five miles away but he was determined to sell those potatoes to provide for his family. About a mile into his journey, a man with a pickup truck stopped and offered him a ride. He gladly accepted and jumped on the back of the truck shouldering his sack of potatoes. For the rest of the ride into town, he had that 50-pound sack over his shoulder. Because the potatoes were so important he just couldn’t let go. Even for the rest of the four miles, he wouldn’t allow himself to let go of his potatoes and rest. So let’s put down the potatoes every now and then. And maybe, just maybe, we can eat some fries along the way.