Learning to Grieve, Let Go, and Live in the Now

What if the secret to true contentment lie in detaching from the outcomes? What if you know in your heart of hearts that you’ve tried your best and that’s enough? Can you be on board with that?

In a society where there’s so much (maybe too much) emphasis on the outcome/destination/what’s next, we sometimes forget to enjoy the journey — to actually slow way down to enjoy the present moment. We forget that we may have very little control of the outcome, and in truth, we have control of so little, but we still have power. The power to control our own response, to turn toward what is, and to lean into the intricacies of life, all that make it more full and perhaps, fulfilling.

Of course, no one would want to experience the difficult or painful emotions, but those, too, are very human. No one can escape them, so instead of fighting and resisting these emotions, what if we allow them to come up and gently turn toward them? What would happen instead?

Last month I took my 14-year-old dog to the vet, a cardiologist to be exact, and it turns out he has a heart condition and has been given 10 months to live. I grieved the diagnosis for a whole week. I felt that the life force was sucked out of me, and yet, because I’ve been practicing my meditation every day for 9 years, I’ve built up a certain amount of willpower to make it through this storm. These storms are a part of life, and yet, it doesn’t make it any easier.

My heart feels like it’s broken in a million pieces, and yet, I continue to show up, teary-faced and all. It’s okay. After setting aside time to grieve, I now face the present and future with more acceptance and lightness. I choose to appreciate the tiny, mundane moments that fill my day, celebrating each walk, each bite and each play. I choose to celebrate the life I get to live with my sweetest companion, and for that, I am forever grateful.

For those who are also weathering storms, you are not alone. You will get through this. Do what you need to do to grieve and carry on, like you always have. Get professional help if you need to. Seriously, take care of you and your mental health. You got this.