- A Zen Guide to Avoiding Emotional Face-Plants
Life’s a funny thing. One minute you’re strolling down the sidewalk, latte in hand, whistling a happy tune. The next, you trip over a rogue shoelace and end up in a full-blown faceplant – latte exploding everywhere (hopefully not on a nice outfit).
This, my friends, is the essence of the Zen proverb: “Let go, or be dragged.” It’s not about achieving zen master status overnight (though that would be pretty cool – imagine levitating to work!). It’s about avoiding the metaphorical latte explosions and emotional face-plants that come with trying to control everything.
Remember Maria from accounting? The one who micromanaged her stapler collection? Yeah, don’t be Maria. Maria spent hours colour-coding her staplers (seriously, who even does that?) and then one day, the office gremlin (every office has one) unleashed a stapler-stealing spree. Maria, clinging desperately to the last remaining Swingline stapler, ended up in a tug-of-war with the janitor, who just wanted to, you know, clean. Needless to say, Maria lost, the stapler went rogue, and her carefully curated collection was thrown into disarray.
Moral of the story? Sometimes, the staplers win.
Letting go doesn’t mean giving up entirely. It means picking your battles. You can’t control the gremlins (or rogue shoelaces), but you can control your reaction. Maybe Maria should have invested in a stapler lock (just a suggestion!).
Imagine you’re in a rushing river. You can paddle against the current, getting exhausted and soaked. Or, you can relax, find the flow, and maybe even enjoy the ride (minus the occasional rock).
So, the next time life throws a curveball, take a deep breath and remember the Zen proverb. Don’t be a Dramallama, clinging to a situation with the ferocity of a toddler losing their juice box. Instead, be the cool cucumber, calmly assessing the situation and finding a way to navigate the current. After all, a little laughter (and maybe a spare stapler) is always a good thing.
Letting go doesn’t mean giving up. It means picking your battles. You can’t control the current, but you can control your floaties (metaphorically speaking). Don’t be a drag queen, be a stream queen!
Go with the flow, find a new way around, and maybe even laugh at yourself getting splashed. After all, sometimes the chillest way to win is to just let go.
