Holding It Loosely

I adore cherries!

They're my favorite fruit and I can, and do, eat them by the bowlful all summer long (you're not mistaken, the photo is raspberries . . . I ate the cherries last night).

They remind me of the summer when I was 15.

My uncle was in the Navy and my aunt had planned an amazing trip traveling around the Mediterranean Sea based on his ports of call. She invited me to spend four of those weeks with her, two in Greece and two in Italy.

Most of our lunches were fresh bread or pastries, cherries and pistachios from the nearest bakery or street vendor. That in itself was a priceless experience.

It would be years before I was able to find fresh cherries in an American grocery store.

One of the most used pieces of pottery in my home this summer has been a berry bowl I made a few years ago. And last night, as I was rinsing off some cherries, I realized it was the perfect image for a huge lesson I've been learning this summer:

Hold it Loosely!

I tend towards wanting to hold on tightly to things that are important to me - memories, dreams, mementos from my kids' childhood, a well-worn pair of shoes . . . relationships.

I can sometimes hold onto things so tightly that my grip unintentionally becomes a chokehold . . . a death-grip, even. When that happens, they become stagnant and stale and sometimes, even die.

In my hands.

And then, I eventually open my hands and see these things that were so full of life and vitality and meaning, aren't anymore.

What I'm learning is that the more loosely I hold things, the fewer things get trapped there in my grip; there's less physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual clutter. The glittery things that caught my attention and distracted me, wash away, and leave room for the really important things to breathe and flourish in my life.

It's counterintuitive. And it requires a lot of faith and trust.

Not in myself.

Not in others.

But in the Great Mystery of Life.

Trusting that if I get out of my own way, things (and people and experiences) that bring fullness and meaning and vitality to my life will flow into it.

My hope for you this week is that if you're clutching too tightly to something in your life, that you're able to loosen your grip just a little bit and trust just a little bit more.