Dear Reader,
Last night our writer group met after a long time. COVID restrictions impacted our meetings last year and we met intermittently on Zoom. But this year too, when there haven’t been any restrictions in our city, we didn’t get into the rhythm of it.
So last night was super-charged. We talked till eleven pm, sharing life stories, writing frustrations, food, clothes, kids, grandkids. Each one of us had complained in the past that it is hard to fall asleep on the nights we meet because of all the excitement.
The five of us have been meeting for six years now, after a novel-writing course we did together at the local writer center. Since then, we have been trying to finish our novels. One of us has finished her’s and is now going through the editing phase. The rest of us keep promising that we will finish it one day. Our pace is incredibly slow and our resolve is shaky, but none of us is ready to let our dream go.
Somehow we are all in state of surrender. We are just enjoying the process of creation and each other’s company than the outcome. To some this might sound as giving up, not trying hard enough, failing to rise to the challenge, but we are immersed in the beauty of it.
Some might consider surrender a defeat, but it has a beautiful connotation about it. We have been raised on excessive dose of self-help where achievement, productivity and being on go go go has been given priority over idleness and doing nothing.
Do not confuse surrender with “I can’t be bothered anymore.” or “I just don’t care.” True surrender is not about being in a pickle and doing nothing about it. Nor does it mean to cease making plans or taking action.
Wisdom of surrender is yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life.
I read a beautiful story of a green sea turtle this week which illustrate this point perfectly.
Casey was snorkeling off the coast of Hawaii when she spotted a turtle right next to her in the water. It was the first time she ever saw a green sea turtle, so she got excited and decided to follow it for a while.
To her surprise, although he appeared to be moving pretty slowly, she couldn’t keep up with him.
She was wearing fins, which gave her propulsion power through the water, yet it kept moving farther from her, even though she was paddling frantically. After about ten minutes, he lost her.
Tired, disappointed, and a little embarrassed, she turned back.
The next day, she returned to the same spot, and found another turtle. Determined to keep up with this one, she started paddling like she never did. Soon, she realized, this one too, was about to outswim her. Frustrated she gave up.
“As I was floating on the surface, I realized something: When the turtle was swimming, it linked its movements to the movements of the water. When a wave was coming at him, he would float, and paddle just enough to hold his position. When the pull of the wave was from behind him though, he’d paddle faster, so that he was using the movement of the water to his advantage. The turtle never fought the waves. Instead, he used them.”
Casey, on the other hand, had been paddling the whole time. This was easy enough when the tide was in her favor, but the more she fought the incoming waves, the less energy she had to capitalize on the outgoing ones later.
“As wave after wave came in and went out, I became more and more fatigued and less effective. Not the turtle though. He kept optimizing his movements with the movements of the water. That’s why he was able to swim faster than I could.”
Source: The Cafe on the Edge of the World, by John Strelecky
Rather than slowing surrender can help us achieve much more.
Those of us who have lived long enough know that we face many “currents” in life. It is precisely at those times we need to practice surrender to use the power of waves to our advantage.
Acceptance of imminent frees our minds from unnecessary pain and fatigue.
Surrender is purely an inner phenomenon. It doesn’t mean on the outer level we cannot take action. Surrender is perfectly compatible with taking action. What we surrender is the expectation of the outcome.
By giving up Casey was able to keep up with the turtle.
In the surrendered state there is totally different energy. Surrender connects you with the source of energy - your Being. The very actions which are laborious, frustrating and unfruitful become joyful and effortless.
By just floating Casey was going further and faster.
Through non-resistance, the quality of whatever you are doing or creating, is enhanced immeasly.
The results then look after themselves.
“Look at the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.” - Jesus
In the state of surrender we can see very clearly what needs to be done. We can focus better and can take action by doing just one thing at a time.
This can be called “surrendered action.”
Last night we identified one thing we are going to do about our novels this month.
Here are the links to this week’s articles.
How to Create From the Higher State of Consciousness
If You Want To Change Your Life, Make Your Bed
How To Make Sure You Listen To Inspiration When It Whispers
Inverness And The Monster Of The Loch Ness
3 Pieces of Advice For Creative People
Enjoy!
That’s it from me this week.
Take care.
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Nice read Neera. Things are slowly returning to normal and we long for the normal life we had and miss for so long. Great you were able to meet with your friends and everyone was alive and well, things could have been different. As you rightly said it, In life we have to learn to adjust to the circumstances around us less we get frustrated and give up.
Surrendering don’t mean we give up but adjust.
Thanks for sharing.