I am now a Graduate

of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program.

There was no cap, no gown, no diploma or graduate credit.

There was a little meditation.

My goal was to make meditation a habit. I'm not sure I am there yet, but I am certainly closer than I've ever been. There is something about accountability to keep you on the path of practice. We'll see how devoted I can stay.

The last Mindfulness Attitude #7 is Letting Go.

And oh how hard is it to let go? As parents we have learned to let go so many times in our lives.

Letting go to the babysitter.

Letting go to kindergarten.

Letting go to overnights.

Letting go to driving.

Letting go to college.

Letting go to moving away.

Letting go to marriage.

And that is just one aspect of our lives. We need to let go so many times in our day. The non-attachment is fundamental in mindfulness. We have certain thoughts and feelings and situations that we want to hold on to (refer back to the list of parenting) We get set in how we think things "should" be and we habitually conjure them up again and again. Which makes me think of Dr. Phil's pat saying, "And how's that working for you?"

Part of the problem is we don't see that pattern we have created for ourselves. And if we do we tend to find others who think like us so we can find comfort and justification in our thinking.

In trying to break this vicious cycle we get ourselves into it is important to just watch.

Letting go is a way of letting things be. Accepting them as they are. While we are grasping and pulling and trying to manipulate to 'our' way of thinking or judging we just recognize and don't pursue further. Don't add a story. Don't add a thought. Just notice that it is. We let them be, thus we let them go.

Holding on is another strong attachment many of us have. (I wish I could take exception.) But if we are willing to look at the way that we hold on, the consequences in our lives, just the consciousness and awareness that we are holding on, then we are so much closer to letting go.

Sleep is a big issue for me and many women. Kabat-Zinn says that if our mind does not shut down when we go to bed this is one of the first signs of elevated stress. We cannot free ourselves from these thoughts because our involvement in them is just too powerful. He believes if you can get to sleep or when you can get to sleep without these ticker tape of thoughts you are already experiencing letting go.

I've got a long way to go.