After 5 months living in something that feels more like a parallel universe, I am constantly reminded of this beautiful Buddhist quote that I so embrace now – but was so unwelcome back in the days I used to be a hardcore control freak: “Relax, you were never in control!”
I spent such a long part of my life trying to have “everything under control”!
But… control… what is it really?
I can tell you that for me, control was rooted in expectation and being attached to a specific outcome and frequently ended up not living in the present…
While traveling the world, that was one of my biggest shifts! Not having the need to feel like I was in control! After all, there was no longer a company to run, a team to manage, a house to organize and all the other mundane parts of the daily life I was so deeply ingrained with!
During my voyage around the globe, I started to appreciate the simple fact of “living the moment”! Eventually, I felt so relieved that my only worry and plan for the day was finding a place to sleep and that would be a 2min task as long as I had a phone with battery and internet connection. And even if I didn’t, it still would be ok.
Everything else I let destiny take care! And how wonderful that was!
Not a worry in the World – while living in Bali
That, coincidently (or not) was the beginning of my spiritual journey where I started embracing Buddhism!
After all I’ve visited several Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India and Nepal, and spent a lot of time in countries with the highest proportion of Buddhists such as Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, Japan, Macau, Taiwan etc etc.
Meditation has been part of my life in the past decade but it wasn’t until I was living in a Buddhist Tibetan Monastery in Nepal where I would spend most days meditating from sunrise until sunset, and oh boy, did that make a difference??? yes, it did, so much that eventually, I learned through mindfulness meditation how to take a deeper look at who is actually running the show! And that was life-changing!
I went from a mind-state that if things didn’t go my way, my world would crash down, to embracing spontaneity and trust the frequent serendipity that was happening, like little sweet magic tricks that were becoming a constant in my life! And I have learned how to accept and appreciate that!
Looking at what’s happening at the moment, one of the never-ending and sustained stresses that clients, students, family and friends have confided with me, is that we were hit with the illusion that we’re no longer in control! And what do I say to them? Well, “Relax, you were never in control”!!!
But one thing I am sure about, that one day this will be over, and we will be grateful for life in ways we never felt before.
Better days will come, so hang in there everyone.
Love and light,
Emma
If you can’t go outside, go inside!
