Holding on

Is there something you're holding onto so tightly that you either can't enjoy it or you can't even feel the emotions surrounding it?

We've all heard the saying: "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be." And often that saying is illustrated with a butterfly. That reminds me of a story I heard of a boy holding onto a beautiful butterfly that landed in his open palm—but he closed his hand so he could hang onto it. The problem was: When his hand was closed tightly, he couldn't enjoy seeing the beautiful creature. When he realized this and opened his hand, he enjoyed the sight of the beautiful butterfly fluttering off to the flowers.

Thinking of this again today makes me examine my life to see what I'm holding onto so tightly. Sometimes it's people I love. Sometimes it could be objects in my life that I'm not ready to shed yet. Still other times, I'm holding onto fears so tightly that I'm not even able to take a look at them and name them.

But when I do open my tightly fisted hand to examine those fears and call them by what they are, suddenly they don't loom so large anymore. And when I open that hand and loosen my grip on people and things I love, often they're still there but in a new and more open way.

Today is a good time for me to see what I'm gripping too tightly. How about you?