Autumn is a Time of Letting Go In Order to Change
Change Always Involves Letting Go
Change is more about letting go of something and not so much about getting something. This is particularly true when it comes to an issue like overcoming an addiction problem. It is like swimming from one side of the river to another – you can’t do this unless you are willing to leave behind the side of the river you start on. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to change then is our unwillingness to let go of something.
Do you remember the floods? Do you remember that boy who got his foot stuck in the grate, and the river kept rising, and it kept rising, and it kept rising, and eventually they tried to get him out but he drowned? Well that would never have happened to me. Do you want to know why? Because I would have cut it off. What I’m trying to say is sometimes you’ve got to cut a little piece of yourself off, yeah, no matter how much it hurts, in order to grow, yeah. In order to move on. Do you know what I mean?
Autumn Is A Time of Change
Autumn (Fall in North America) provides the perfect example of how change occurs. It involves the letting go of the old to make room for the new. As the leaves turn brown and fall from the trees, there can be a strong sense of things coming to an end, but this is only a temporary state of affairs. It is just the cycle of life. Come springtime, a new wave of life will emerge to replace the old.
Autumn is full of symbolism that can help us reflect and get a better understanding of our own lives. It reminds us that change is inevitable and the only question is which direction this change goes and whether we resist it. One of reasons we can remain stuck in the misery addiction is the fear of change, but once we realize the reality of change, we can embrace it as a force leading to a better life.
Autumn Invites Us to Begin a Brand New Chapter
We can look at autumn either as a beginning or as an ending. The same can be said of a problem like addiction. We can look at giving up alcohol or other recreational drug as a loss, but we can also see it as the beginning of something new and wonderful. It is our ability to see recovery as an opportunity rather than loss that will determine our success. If we can realize that this is a chance for a brand new chapter in our life, something much better that what’s gone before, we can develop the motivation to make this change happen.
To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man’s-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh. To live is to be willing to die over and over again.
Pema Chodren – When Things Fall Apart
Are You Ready for Autumn?
Isn’t it time you let go of some things that have been getting in the way in your life? If you are ready to move your life in a new direction, please contact us here at Hope to find out how we might be able to help.
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