Relaxing in the Passenger Seat

"The Master understands that the Universe

is beyond her control,

and that trying to dominate events

goes against the current of the Tao."

Lao Tzu

Often in our lives we can find ourselves fruitlessly struggling against, and resisting, situations that we have absolutely no control over. For instance, we wake up in the morning in anticipation of a beautiful picnic in the park only to find that it is raining - causing us to become depressed and upset that our plans have been interrupted by the weather. Or perhaps we are late for an important appointment, and getting in our car, discover that the battery has died, which leaves us feeling unhappy and frustrated for the remainder of the day. Though these are small examples, it points to the fact that we can spend much of our life in a state of resistance towards circumstances that are beyond our control.

There comes a time for many of us however (usually through great suffering), where we realize that we simply don't have the energy to continue with this exhausting (and fruitless) attempt to control every aspect of our life. In this realization, we finally let go of the resistance and sense of struggle that has dominated our lives for years, and begin to see clearly that it is not the circumstances of our lives that cause our unhappiness and frustration, but the habitual need to try and control those circumstances. We also see that, when we let go of this illusion of control, we are not giving up our ability to change or respond to circumstances that are unfulfilling or not serving us. On the contrary, letting go of control moves us into alignment with the creative flow of the present moment (the Tao) so that we can use our energy wisely and with the greatest impact when needed.

It's like moving from the drivers seat to the passenger side of the car, relaxing and allowing the Universal Intelligence that's been doing the driving all along to take over the steering of our lives. Through surrender to the flow of the Tao, we know just the right time to act so that we no longer drain ourselves of vital energy by worrying about things that our beyond our control. We acknowledge, quite happily, that there is an Intelligence much greater than our ego/mind that is unfolding everything for our highest good. As we surrender the illusion of control, we find that life becomes much more effortless and fun; and the joy we have longed for begins to show up in the unfolding of Life itself. The key is to simply move with the direction that our Life is Flowing, accept whatever shows up as a gift with our name on it, and enjoy the scenery along the Way - knowing it is all happening for our complete benefit.