“My brother was killed when I was 13. There had been a fight at a nightclub, and my brother was not involved, but he was shot in the head as he tried to run away. He was very popular in my town, so there were many reporters and friends outside the hospital when I got there. When I walked in my mother was sitting in a chair, crying. She wouldn’t even look at me. She wouldn’t speak to me. Not only did I lose my brother that day, but I lost my mother too. Life from then on was about her suffering. She stayed home all day, she cried, she didn’t pay much attention to us. Nothing was allowed to be more important than her suffering. Nobody else was allowed to have important problems. Her pain had to be worse than everyone else’s. She preferred it that way.”
This “Humans of New York” story illustrates the danger of holding on to what is best let go.
Life is an ever-flowing stream. When we dam it up, it turns into a stagnant cesspool. Wisdom is in dipping our hand into this stream of life and let it effortlessly slip through our fingers.
Though easier said than done, it does not make this message any less relevant. The stream of life has ever-present joy sparkling within. When we let this stream pass through without resisting it or grasping it, this joy replenishes us and dances in our every cell. Let not momentary set-backs cause us turn our back on the flow of life. Instead let setbacks provide us with wisdom to cherish what is present within every moment.
Related:
Billionaire mathematician coped with grief of losing son by math
This man lost his wife and only daughter and became a Yogi
Yoga For Healing Grief
Credits:This has been written by Raj Shah and edited by Ketna Shah.
Wow!! A very great perspective! We often forget how we could be exiting from life when we stay in the moment that has passed. It reminded me of when I was deeply saddened by an event, but quickly realized that I had a choice to remain in my sadness or move on and seek out the joys of life. I allowed myself a momentary state of grief…and then let it go!! I’m grateful that I did not become a secondary burden on my family.