Just Surrender

At 3:30am this morning I woke up to the sound of my son playing in his room. He was going through hi

s animal books, making all the animal sounds on the top of his lungs. The furry of annoyance started burning, and all the thoughts of how unjust and inconvenient this was for me started raging. Then the thought occurred to me, just surrender.

My resistance to being awakened early, and having my expectations of a quiet morning being disrupted was infuriating. But the minute I chose to surrender to what was, I instantly felt lighter. My heart softened, my tension released, and though I was a little disappointed I wasn’t nearly as angry. I got up, grabbed my computer, and leaned into the invitation I was being given.

The pain of resistance is real! We spend so much time crafting our expectations and when they aren’t met it’s uncomfortable, to say the least. The truth is – we don’t have much choice in the matter. When things don’t go as planned, we have two choices: resist and get pissed, or surrender and lean in to whatever opportunity is presented instead. As uncomfortable and even scary as surrender is – resistance is downright painful. 

I’ve ruined many good opportunities in resistance, and I can tell you – resistance is far more painful than surrender is. Surrender is scary, it means leaning into circumstances that are unknown and unplanned for. It means leaning into faith that all will be well. It means allowing who you are and what you have right now to be enough for what’s in store. The truth is, when we do surrender and lean into these invitations, we tend to experience more joy, and build more confidence than when things go exactly as we planned.

Despite our best intentions, we don’t always make the best plans. We think we do – but we don’t have all the information. If my morning had gone as planned, I wouldn’t have had 1:1 time with my son. I wouldn’t have watched the sun rise. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to practice leaning into surrender, and I wouldn’t have had this lesson to share with you.

As you go about your day and your week, I invite you to carry this lesson with you. As you face challenges listen to that inner voice inviting you to just surrender, and see what magic awaits you. 

Wishing you a wonderful week. With love and gratitude,  Robin