Letting Go

'Never get too attached to something that isn't yours.'

Let's just keep the 'never get too attached to something' part of that quote although, to be fair, it's true that nothing whatsoever belongs to us in general - at best, we are merely borrowers. 

So back to what happened yesterday. I was on the plane on my way to Cyprus when I decided that I wanted to put some cream on my hands. I casually removed my five rings (yes, I do quite love rings) and placed them on my blouse, at the same time making a mental note not to forget to wear them once I'd be done. As if. Naturally, I forgot to put them back on. Well anyway, the plane eventually landed. Hurray! Home sweet home. I put my coat back on, picked up my bag and the rest of my belongings, and headed for the exit. As I was stepping out, I suddenly heard a series of little clinking noises and saw all five of my rings drop onto the airstair in slow motion... They were rolling everywhere and passengers were trying to leave the aircraft and I was in frenzy running up and down the stairs looking for my rings. Chaos.

I must have re-entered the airplane three times, the air hostesses were ever so friendly. After all the passengers had left (so much for picking seats right by the exit, I left the area last), I ran up and down the stairs several times. My friends stayed behind to help look for my rings and we found four out of five... the whole airplane crew was on the look out for that one last ring; they must have thought I had lost a diamond ring or something. Kind of them.

We never found my fifth ring. What I haven't mentioned was that each of my rings has a personal story behind it and that is why I am sentimentally attached to each one of them. This one had its story too and I didn't want to stop looking for it, I just didn't want to let go. Eventually I had to stop searching, but I guess I got my lesson.

We get so attached to everything we have and everything we do; our ideas, our way of doing things, places, things and the many people that our present in our lives. This post may have been about a ring but the lesson taken refers to people as well, everything really. Any kind of attachment is unhealthy.   We've got to learn to let go. After all, our whole life is an act of letting go. You can love everything without being attached to it :)

Attachment = Suffering

"This is the whole secret of non-attachment: live in the world, but don’t be of the world. Love people, but don’t create attachments. Reflect people, reflect the beauties of the world — and there are so many. But don’t cling. Know, but don’t create knowledge. Love, but don’t create desire. Live, live beautifully, live utterly, abandon yourself in the moment. But don’t look back. This is the art of non-attachment."

~ Osho