Letting Go

My trip home yesterday was a perfect situation to practice the art of letting go. I flew stand-by since my trip was unexpected and all the flights were overbooked so I ended up going to San Diego with no connecting flight back to San Francisco. After doing all the "right" things to list on a new flight the agent still would not let me get on a flight. He said the system needed an authorization. I got the proper authorization and the system still would not let me on the flight. 

There was absolutely nothing I could do. I tried talking to the agent, checked out rental cars, inquired about the cost of other flights, so finally I decided to buy a flight back. I thought my entire day spent traveling is a great example of letting go. 

There was no use in getting anger even though I felt like it. My anxiety was reaching a high point so I just continued to breathe deep breaths into my belly. I texted friends instead of speaking to share a little of my frustration but also to connect. A lot of life is about surrendering to what we cannot control...a failed relationship, a job rejection, the loss of a loved one, etc. In many ancient philosophies it is said that our free will is only our response to something already happening so this is a lot of letting go. But we do get the choice in how we respond to life's events. See what makes you feel more happiness...responding peacefully and lovingly or the opposite.