Perhaps this next chapter is to be devoted to cultivating the Zen principle of non-attachment. To learning to cherish without holding too tightly.Raising children somehow kept me nimble, flexible, and open. There was no time to get stuck in any moment, for better or worse. When the little people went through rough patches, it was a relief to realize that it wouldn't last long; but it also meant that triumphs were fleeting. While life was changing so quickly, it was apparent that both the pain and joy created a foundation for future perspective and balance.
But now I've ended up at a place in life that feels like a pit stop that I want to make last forever. It's not perfection, as dear people and once-dear dreams have been already lost along the way. But in sum, this place is more than I ever expected. It shines with promise, it rests lightly on the years past, and it nearly bursts with more happiness than I can hold. So much so that I am suspicious of its beauty and want to hold it so tightly that it can never change.
But change it will. And the more attached I become to the beauty of this particular moment, the harder it is to keep it unpolluted by the knowledge that there are challenges lurking ahead. Therein lies the challenge and the goal. For in order to truly honor and cherish these wonderful people who are the loves of my life, I must hold them ever lightly in my heart, welcome the changes ahead, and realize that now is enough.
