Samba da Bencáo by Bebel Gilberto

(from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, “Eat Pray Love”)

The flow of energy in our lives is directly proportional to how much we trust God.  Letting go is described in many ways.  In my life, sometimes it means deviating from the lesson plans and allowing my intuition to guide the day according to what the kids need.  I struggle to do this, thinking, “I don’t even agree with this way of teaching – this isn’t Ms. Contreras’ style!”  But, it’s not about me.  I am trained to help children and guide them.  The best way to do that is to surrender to what they need, even if I do not agree with it.  Sometimes the hardest concepts to surrender to are the ones in our own field of expertise.

When we butt heads with ourselves, this is a sign that we are at odds with what God is asking us to do.  As much as we want to resist and fight it, we know what the right answer is.  We know we must let go of the strings on the marionette and let the puppet come to life.

When the puppet comes to life, we realize that we have already created such a solid foundation, like when we overprepare because we are already one step ahead of ourselves.  Take for example a night when you know you are going to go out with friends and come home late.  Somehow, you managed to have everything ready for the next morning and extra money on the Metro card, just in case.  This was all so necessary at one point, like when first stepping out into the world or let’s be real, in college.  But, at a certain point in our lives we don’t need the overprotective version of ourselves anymore.  That part of us needs to go.  It’s time to cut ourselves loose from our own strings and balance on the strengths we now KNOW we have. This is what it means to have faith in ourselves.  This is the essence of confidence.  Having faith in ourselves is actually us just reaping the benefits of who we’ve become.

I am a supreme multitasker and can pull anything together in a short amount of time, from a Christmas Play to a sweetly written academic paper.  Some may call this winging it – I call it, faith in myself.  I already know my strengths, and I choose to play to them.  Letting my spirit run like a sailboat in the wind is the same as letting go of the battle with myself.  I believe most of our anxiety stems from when we are controlling ourselves down to the very last hair follicle.  Somewhere along the line, even though we did well in school, landed substantial jobs, and held down major responsibilities, we doubted how we got there.  Hello!?  YOU got YOURSELF there.

So, it’s time to stop scolding yourself by the elbow.  It’s time to let the Samba take you to a land of sweet dreams and sweet fruit.  There’s no need to doubt who you are anymore – you’ve already crossed the Finish Line.  Enjoy the party and immerse yourself, in yourself!  It’s like a vacation within YOU – it’s already paid for, so why are you trying to plan another vacation when you’re supposed to be enjoying the one you’re already on?

I hope this allows you to set sail and let the wind guide the boat . . . you’ll know when to head in another direction.  But for now, enjoy the view, then close your eyes, and let the wind take you where you need to go.