Letting It Go

My first attempt at a painting

I’m a firm believer that you can’t get to where you’re going by clinging on to where you have been.

Getting to the place that you define as your most excellent adventure requires that you learn from your past, live in your present while looking to your future-- simultaneously.

It sounds impossible, but it can be accomplished. It requires that you let go of fear, frustration, blame and shame. You must let go of the anger you have about not being where you want to be and you must let go of the false notion that it’s someone else’s fault.

There is a wonderful Arabic proverb that goes like this:

“When a person seeks their purpose, the Universe conspires to answer.”

I was at an event St. Anthony’s Shawnee Hospital and Physician’s Group in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The place was full of history and art, but my schedule was full and I knew that I’d have to come back to experience all that the place offered.

Still, the people were layered and wonderful and each conversation brought more and more joy.

While in the meeting, I noticed that each table had been prepared with goodies for the participants.

 There were treats and noise makers, colored pencils (yes, this is the correct use of the word colored) and there were wonderful pages of intricately designed art works to be colored.

I had planned to doodle, but I was caught up in the stories I’d been blessed with. During a break, I went to check my email and in it there was a message from the designers of an adult coloring book.

The note said that they enjoyed my blogs and wanted to share a book with me.

I believe that synchronicity is the language of God, but I must admit that I looked around the room to see if the sender was there and had seen me gathering untouched pages for later.

I might be crazy, but I’m no fool; I responded immediately and they sent the book the same way.

Let It Go! Coloring Activities to Awaken Your Mind and Relieve Stress by Sheriese Seven is not just deliciously beautiful, it provides a very real tool for letting go of the things that so easily beset you.

In the book, the author provides you, the co-creator with a page to write one word that represents something that made you unhappy or caused stress.

 After you write the word, you acknowledge what has given you pause, close your eyes take in three breaths; in through the nose and out through the mouth. Then with the blackest pen, you cross out the word until it is unrecognizable; in that moment, there is no stress and you are free to fill in the beauty within the lines of these most amazing renderings.

 Each page gives relief, each page gives you new eyes.

I often recommend books, today, I’m recommending that you purchase two; one for you and one for someone else who you know needs to let go.

Give yourself the time to reconnect to who you are and what you desire by letting go of what you no longer need.

Be you, be well, be wonderful.

Bertice Berry, PhD.

Click here to order this amazing book

Watch the discussion as it unfolds on periscope