It's Time To Practise Some Letting Go

[Gareth]

I'm so happy that this place is starting to come alive. It started off as an idea that popped into my head while I was lying on the settee about nine months ago, and I've worked tirelessly since then, trying to get it off the ground. So much so that that this forum has completely dominated my thinking since that time. My mindfulness has defintely suffered because of this forum, and there has been plenty of striving involved. Last week was especially bad when we were struggling with issues surrounding a difficult poster; I found it really hard to let go of thoughts relating to this place, and the thoughts were getting quite intrusive at times. All along I have figured that this striving has been worthwhile, because I passionately believe that this can be a place that can really help people.

But now it's time to let go. Not forever of course, but I feel like this place can survive without my input for a week, so I'm going to practise letting go. I go on holiday on Saturday for a week, and during that time I am consciously not going to connect to the internet for the whole time. I am also going to try to let go of any thoughts in relation to this project when they arise; I think it'll do me good. I really enjoyed the last lifestyle challenge (1 day to go), so I'm going to follow it up straight away with another mini one. I know this place is in safe hands with Jon and Fiona, so I can go away and enjoy a lovely week in the sunshine with my family (lots of meditating of course).

[JonW]

Hi Gareth.
You've done great work getting this place to where it is.
Now enjoy a well-earned rest in sunshine - I'm presuming you're heading abroad in search of sun...
Cheers, Jon

[FeeHutch]

Have a lovely time
P.S bring the sun back with you!

[monkeymind]

Gareth,
Have a lovely, relaxing, and well deserved break.
I have to add a word of thanks too for finding the drive and energy to put this place together in the first instance. I think you've done a brilliant job and should be incredibly proud.
Monkeymind

[Gareth]

Well I'm back. The sunshine threatened to be absent for the first couple of days, but it eventually decided to play ball. I did plenty of letting go, particularly of my previous alcohol abstinence. Never mind, I'm long since past the days of beating myself up.

I did lots of meditating, which filtered through into my days, and the whole holiday was a fairly meditative experience. Mindfulness does get easier the more you practise, so keep the faith and keep at it folks. Its enormous power has never been demonstrated to me more than in the airport on the way home. The people dropping the hire cars off were delayed and they were talking about shutting the check-in, for a while it was touch and go. I sat there in complete serenity, while all around me were in abject panic. I'm so happy that I spared myself all that cortisol being dumped into my bloodstream, but it would be good if there were a better way of convincing other people. I'll spend the next lifetime working on that one.

I can't escape the fact that mindfulness has changed me forever, at least in some small ways. I really didn't have any of my normal penchant for sunbathing for example. When I thought about it, lots of the reasons for sunbathing come from the future (I want to look good at work next week). I often forwent sunbathing because I was enjoying some other moment. Sitting mindfully in the sun, feeling the warmth on your face is very pleasurable of course, and I did plenty of that.

It's great to get back and see the forum still doing well and with new members too!

[JonW]

Welcome back, Gareth.
We've been missing you.
Great to hear that the holiday was such a meditative experience.
The image of you as an oasis of calm at the airport is a potent one. The feeling of not being swept up in the whirlpool of everyday life is such a blessed relief. I felt it in London this week when the tube train were chock-a-block and everybody was in a hurry to get somewhere.

[FeeHutch]

Keeping calm when travelling is a testament to the power of mindfulness if I ever I heard one

Welcome back, I am glad you had a lovely holiday