If life were a game of chess, how are you playing the game…?

….fighting hard, agonizing to make ‘right’ moves…? Or enjoying the unexpected moves of Life…Universe, Divine..whatever label resonates for you as the unknown force/energy stepping into our lives in unexpected ways without our input or control?

In the West we are strongly influenced by beliefs in action, being proactive, decisive…an actor in life. We agonize to make “right” decisions…do things “right”, “get it right”.  Yet sometimes no matter how much we try, push, manipulate, connive……things happen beyond our control. We don’t get the job/guy/gal/house….. or worse, we lose house and home in an unpredicted disaster-car accident…devastating storm-, or are diagnosed with a life-threatening disease… despite our regular efforts at healthy living. Usually to add to the difficulty and challenge we must now face, our minds jump in with a “why me?” topped with feelings of injustice, resentment and/or anger.

Not to renounce commitment and action in the way we live…they have a valid place… let us remember the other end of the polarity of action: inaction, letting go…not struggling  to ‘get it right’, knowing how to surrender and trust. We can make ourselves sick from too much effort. Remembering to let go, be quiet, do nothing and tune into a quiet, inner place of guidance,  can make life richer, calmer, and more joyful.

In the game of life… perhaps the joy is not in the winning, but in the attention to playing, not always controlling and allowing life to unfold, just a little….

Letting go can be challenging for many of us, but we can re-learn it…re-member an old way of being we have forgotten. Someone to guide us is also helpful. No need to feel shy or hang on to the belief “must do it alone”…

Reach out. Let joy back into your life. En-joy and Carpe Diem!