Let it be easy...
Resistance gives potent energy to that thing you’re resisting.
Today I want to share 4 words with you .... let. it. be. easy.
I know what you’re thinking…..nothing in life is easy, right? Some of the situations we find ourselves in can be downright tough and seem almost impossible at times to bear.
But….what if you let it be easy? whatever your “it” is.
What I’m talking about is how we react. Period. Nothing more. How we react to a situation we encounter, in part, determines the outcome. It determines whether we keep trying to ride the heavy, undulating waves of it or walk beside it step by step despite it being difficult.
When my baby brother died unexpectedly a few years ago, December 2nd, 2016 to be exact, needless to say I was beside myself with grief. Our whole family was.
I found out the news late on a Friday night. Nothing especially important was going on, hubby had gone out to get some ice cream for the family and I was catching up with some work at my desk.
Then came the phone call from my sister saying …”well sis, he’s gone”. And I completely lost it. The roar of NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! began and I repeated it over and over and over again as if the mere denial of the thing would make it not true.
My heart and my mind could not comprehend this news.
Hubby returned from the market and took over. By Saturday, mid-morning, I was on a flight to The Bahamas.
Because I now live in Portland (on the US’ west coast) it now takes almost a full day to travel home. I took that day to step into my loss, really feel it because I knew there would be work to do when I got there, the biggest of which was supporting our mother.
I chose on that long flight home to let it be easy.
What that looked like for me was not denying what happened or trying not getting emotional throughout my day of travel. Nope, that was an impossible feat I couldn’t pull off even if I wanted to.
...letting it be easy was finding space in 3 airports to live in my grief rather than buck up in front of the eons of people also traveling to their own destinations, who didn't know me or know what I was going through.
....letting it be easy was not railing at the funeral home director when we found out there was major red tape to getting his body sent back to the island of Freeport from Nassau for the funeral that we wanted to take place the following Saturday.
....letting it be easy was sitting and crying with my mother (and siblings) when we needed to, instead of trying to hold it in for her. She needed to know and see we were right there in it with her.
....letting it be easy meant not getting upset that I couldn’t find a decent enough dress for the funeral because I left in such a hurry and couldn’t shop for something to wear (until the 11th dress in the 3rd shop).
....letting it be easy meant all sibling deciding to spend Christmas together instead of separating at such a hard time. For me this meant trying to find flights for the remainder of my family to join us from Portland (remember the all day travel?), this decision coming days before Christmas no less.
I could have resisted but didn’t because I knew ALL of us needed that togetherness so, I let it be easy. (And the big BONUS was that my older son got leave from his Air Force job to join us!!!).
Remember, letting it be easy is not about taking away the hardship or ignoring the dang thing when it shows up.
It's also not about giving in, or letting another have control, or even pushing to get your own way. Nah my friend, it's absolutely none of that.
Letting it be easy is about taking the road with least RESISTANCE so that you can move through to the other side, braver and stronger or softer and heartened or even tired and exhausted but not overtaken and overwhelmed.
Take a moment to think of a situation you're encountering right now……..
My question to you is how can you let it be easy for you?
How can you bring in some mindfulness and ease, some peace around what you’re going through? How can you find a way to control the situation instead of allowing it controlling you
Choose to let it be easy even if that means letting someone else handle things (like hubby with my travel plans which he aced I might add) ...then please, let go.
About 6 months later my sister's latest book was published (Go Sue!!) and when I finally got my copy a couple days ago I opened up to the first page with the dedication.
What I didn't know was that she had dedicated the book to our brother, Reggie. As I read her words I immediately started tearing up…like big dripping tears down my face y’all… in the coffee shop where I was sitting!
In that moment….instead of binding myself up trying to avoid the feelings that arose, in public no less, I sat back and just let the tears fall, feeling his presence in the moment, not giving a whiff who saw me.
In that moment, I chose to let it be easy.
Whatever you encounter today, this week, choose to bring in some stillness and ease and remember to…
Let it be easy.
Namaste my friend. I bow to the divine in you.
xoxo