Pushmi-pullyu

Holding on to hope.

Letting go of - what ?
The small stuff - that sounds good. "Let go of the small stuff."

But don't you love some of the small stuff?

• A sudden ray of sunshine on a cold, stern day.
• An unexpected hug when defenses are low.
• A beautiful mouthful of quality that gives texture, aroma, colour, relaxation, music (haven't you ever had a Brahmsian wine?), taste, and memories all in a glass.

Ok, getting carried away, but also good are warm slippers and a crackly fire on a cold night.
ButterChicken&Naan&Broccoli + 6 Feet Under + Gerald & Lois laughing.
vW celebrations with 2 children making pretty-funny-for-early-teens jokes.
Unrestrained laughter of a child.

I'm not sure I want to let that all that go. Not lightly, anyhow.

How about the big stuff?
The special people; the close family (a subset); the freedom, wherewithal and capability to explore this world and its people; our integral beliefs and values; the sense of achievement where a long difficult haul is rewarded ...

Many of those things require, in order to experience their fineness, "a fine mingling of letting go and holding on".

Lao Tzu, a long time ago in China, held that
"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be".
Now we're getting somewhere.
A part of a Christian message - there is fineness beyond what we can yet ask or imagine, which cannot be acquired by grasping.

Best of all - as I
Fly through the air
With the greatest of ease
Between trapezes
Having let go of one but without
A handhold on the next
- I'm glad of the safety nets.

Here's one from last night - warm, together crowd, throbbing joyous "yes" music.




L