embrace fluidity

In reality, if we could pay close attention to anything in nature, it is continuously, moment by moment, shifting and changing.

For example, ‘winter’ and ‘autumn’ are not separate entities. 
There is not one moment where we can pinpoint as upon which autumn turns into winter.

There is a fluidity to the true nature of all things.
They are not as solid as they seem. 

As a season comes, it is already going. 
As a leaf starts to flourish, it is also decaying.

It is the same with our lives.

We can seek consolation in the truth that:
As a bad day, a bad patch, a bad experience comes, it is already on its way out.
As a painful feeling arises, it is already in the progress of ceasing.

But the same could be said about the things we consider ‘good’.
In life, there is no gurantee that anything will last forever.
If we worry too much about losing what we love, we are paradoxically not able to enjoy what is here.
So at best we can, we ought not to hold on too tightly. 
Think of good fortune and ecstasy as things we ‘borrow’ from the Universe. 
When they enters our world, we enjoy them thoroughly, with our full body and mind. 
When it is time for us to ‘return’ them, we gracefully do so. 

If we consistently practise the skill of non-grasping and fluid living, 
we do not have to be swayed by the storms of big highs and lows. 
What is left is an undercurrent of tranquillity, steady joy and mounting resilience.

Let’s be a light traveller in life.

Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. —KIERKEGAARD

This week’s experiment: HOT AIR BALLOON

Draw a big hot air balloon, ideally on a piece of big paper.

Then, inside the balloon draw or write all of the issues you are feeling anxious about.

Try not to overthink about it. ‘Dump’ all your worries into this hot air balloon, without rationalising or minimising your fears.

Then, reflect on what you have drawn or written.

You may find that they all come from an attachment- attachment to a person, a possession, our reputation, or a particular outcome.

Can you live without these things?

If you could release this hot air balloon to the air, and let go of your worries, how would you feel differently?