Dr. Seuss has not only provided us with an infinite amount of entertainment in his colorful rhymes and stories, but has provided us with an enormous amount of insight and inspiration. He was full of amazing quotes that really make you stop and think…below is one of my favorites.
Don’t cry because it’s over…Smile because it happened.
Dr. Seuss
There are so many chapters in our lives that no matter how painful they are to end, they must. We need to stop and look at what we do to ourselves and others when we hold on too long. What do you do? Do you cry because its over? Or smile because it happened? One of the things in life that is guaranteed, is change. We are constantly shedding cells, regenerating, and recreating our physical being as well as our outer existence.
Even the earth we exists upon is in constant motion and we are moving with it. We are never completely still. Trying to keep something one way or the same, puts us in conflict with nature. This is where frustration and resistance kicks in!
Everywhere you look things are in a state of change, a cycle of life. People come into and out of our lives for a purpose. Nothing is truly an “accident”, we encounter each other for all kinds of reasons. Some reasons are to teach and learn and some are just for the experience. Those experiences can range from being absolutely incredible to being so painful we cannot fathom the purpose. That is when we must allow ourselves to take a step back and look deeper. This is where I really think the quote above fits in.
Currently we are on the cusp of change, seasonal being one of the more obvious changes. Summer to Fall…School is starting, the days are starting to get shorter. The changes are starting to happen subtly all around us. This is actually the perfect time to tap into natures cycle of change, and take a moment to clean out our internal houses (our emotional, mental and spiritual bodies).
What do I mean by this? We should use this time of adjustment and change to take inventory of where we are, where we have come from. Review, replay some key experiences you have had in your life. When doing this…what have you discovered about yourself? What are you holding onto that upon review you realize may no longer be serving your highest good?
Some things to ask yourself:
- Is there anything that you are holding onto that needs to be released?
- What happens if you release it?
- What happens if you hold on?
- Why might you be afraid of letting go?
- What would letting go mean?
Some experiences happen to help us see our potential and some help us remember and awaken what we have let lay dormant within us. Once we have awakened and remembered, the challenge is to keep the momentum going and grow.
I think that so many feel that if we let go…we negate the experience or somehow are not honoring its value. There is a feeling that by letting it go it must not have meant what we thought it did. All this is false. These are our insecurities. These are the inner workings of the ego to keep us in a controllable state. Keeps us from moving forward and stuck in a state of discontent . By integrating the experiences and letting them become part of who we are we are able to be more than we were. We are able to love a little deeper, live a little fuller, smile a little brighter because of our experiences (this includes the good and the bad).
Take some time over the next week or two and allow yourself to look at your experiences, remember and review them. By being able to look at them through the mind’s eye we allow ourselves to look at them from a different perspective. Remember that to welcome anything new there needs to be room. By releasing what may no longer be serving you, you provide the room needed to grow and expand in your life.
Holding on by the way of sadness takes far more energetic space as well as energy then by integrating the experience in the form of appreciation, joy or acceptance.
What is your favorite Dr. Seuss quote and why?