By Soren Lauritzen
• Winter, snow and ice make for a lesson in letting go and letting god
• An inspirational story from the Soren Lauritzen’s life
• Conclusion?
• Trying to control often has the opposite effect of what you want
• But steering via acceptance, flexibility & intention works great
What Does Bing Crosby Have to Do With Letting Go and Letting God? (Not Much … But, a Bit)
You know that white, fluffy, cold stuff that Bing Crosby once sang that he was dreaming about having at Christmas?
If you don’t live in a country far enough in the direction of the earth’s poles – and you don’t travel to go skiing or snowboarding, you probably don’t know. In that case what I am talking about is frozen water: snow, plus her even more slippery sister: ice.
A Lesson in Letting Go and Letting God:
Swimming in Snow and Ice?
With my home country of Denmark (in Scandinavia) being pretty far towards the North end of the globe we have plenty of that cold, slippery stuff right now.We aren’t exactly up to our hips and swimming in snow and ice, but if we had had any mountains in Denmark (we hardly do) we could definitely have gone skiing and snowboarding.
Instead, we go biking.
A Lesson in Letting Go and Letting God:
Going Biking On Thin Ice
Yeah, that’s right. We use bicycles in the snow and on the ice. Not for sport, as such, but for transportation. Call us crazy, but bicycles are an extremely popular mode of transportation in Denmark. So what I’m talking about is simple transportation on a par with driving a car or taking bus.
And so we get close to the crux of this small article. It is something I noticed last year and re-noticed this year when all the white stuff came down upon us, started melting and then suddenly froze, followed by more snow.
This produced some extremely interesting driving conditions. And I had to go biking – or rather, I chose to go biking. As I and so many other Danes are prone to do. However …
A Lesson in Letting Go and Letting God:
The More Wheels the More Boring
A car has four wheels. A bus has more. A bicycle, however, normally has only two wheels – and those are rather slim, at that.
So bicycling in a mix of snow and ice is an interesting experience. To say the least.
Many folks find it daunting. Dangerous and scary, even. Personally, though, I like it.
A Lesson in Letting Go and Letting God:
Don’t Tell This to My Mom …
When I was a kid of about 9+ years I used to go biking on the frozen lake in the small town where we lived in those years. It was great fun.
First of all the ice was seldom smooth all over the lake. Usually there were plenty of places where it was gnarly and bumpy (I don’t know why). Those bumpy patches make it very difficult to steer the bike.
Secondly, there was often a layer of snow on top of the ice on the lake. So, you never knew when it would be smooth driving and when you would hit the bumps. Which just made it more interesting.
Also, on the smooth patches of ice you could pick up speed and then brake – at which point … pretty much nothing would happen. The bike would just go on driving almost as fast. Only now you couldn’t steer it anymore.
Yes! Like I said: Great fun!
Amazingly, I hardly ever fell. Instead I did was what kids at all times have done while playing and generally horsing around (lousy pun (on ‘iron horse’=bicycle) intended):
I learned.
A Lesson in Letting Go and Letting God:
The Power of A Loose Grip
And what did I learn? I learned about driving and biking on ice and snow, of course, but most of all I learned about letting go. Letting and letting god, so to speak.
And this was the lesson in letting go that I wanted to write about. Driving on the icy, snow covered lake in the home town of my childhood was a great lesson in letting go.
You see, when driving a two wheeled bicycle on ice and snow you absolutely cannot force it. Not in any way at all.
I noticed this consciously last year, and again this year. So, here’s the lesson for inducing consciousness about letting go and letting god:
What I do when I drive my bike in these extreme conditions is loosen my grip. That’s right: LOOSEN my grip on the handle bars. I have my hands real close to them, but I hardly even touch them.
Crazy, right? Not at all.
Time for some contrast.
A Lesson in Letting Go and Letting God:
Cramped Up, Stressed Out Control Freaks
As I mentioned I also know some folks who absolutely cannot drive their bicycle in the snowy, icy weather we’re having in Denmark right now. They tried it a few times, with some pretty disastrous results, and now they don’t even try it anymore.
So, I talked to these good folks that I know. And guess what: They try to control their bike. The more slippery the road the more try to control it. In effect, they cramp up.
Just like most folks do in that general thing we call life: They try to control it and end up getting all cramped up and stressed out.
You can’t micro manage a bike in snow and ice. No way. You will fall for sure.
That goes for life in general, too.
A Lesson in Letting Go and Letting God:
Trying to Control Life Doesn’t Work – Flexibly Controlling Your Intention Does
When driving a bicycle in snow and ice you can have a general idea about where you want to go and then you can gently steer your bicycle in that direction. But you have to let the road, ice and snow dictate your exact course.
You have to be totally relaxed and accepting. Flexible. Adaptable.
In other words … It’s all about having a general intention and then letting the road take you where you want to go.
Or, if you prefer: letting go and letting god.
Or … if you prefer:
Letting go of control – while still being in control on a general level by using your intention.This is such a great metaphor. A really great tip on how to live your life in general.
A Lesson in Letting Go and Letting God:
Final Words: You Choose!
So, to put it plainly:
If you try to micro manage your life you will probably take some pretty nasty falls along the way, simply BECAUSE you try to control everything.
Trying to be totally in control all the time increases the risk of getting all cramped up and stressed out and losing control.
On the other hand, letting go of control, i.e. letting go and letting god, being flexible, adaptable and accepting while STILL keeping a clear intention and gently nudging and steering your vehicle (yourself) in the right direction – works beautifully! Both on an actual winter road and on the winding, slippery road we call life. 🙂
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