Floating in space with little Lulu

The art, science and spirituality of letting go, spontaneity and play

Saying yes to now
As I let go of my agenda and the billion things I should be doing and say yes to the present aching need, the heavens open up to me and those I love. 

Little things are big things

What seems to be the smallest need of the least importance becomes deep medicine which ripples through time.  The butterfly effect. 
My family needed a break from the endless energy of my granddaughters, Lottie and Lulu.  I volunteered to take them to the park, in spite of the mountains of work waiting for me at home. There were some complaints along the way, not making it any easier for me to feign enthusiasm. I did my best, running up to the swings and jumping on, before being directed to push the swing, higher, higher. We climbed the jungle gym, slid down the slide, crossed the balance beam and traversed the monkey bars. While Lottie occupied herself with “building a campfire”, Lulu and I found ourselves on a helix shaped spinning apparatus, possibly called a “whizzy dizzy”.  Spinning slowly at first, I discovered if I stood up straight we went faster, a lot faster! Soon, Lulu was airborne, holding herself onto the gizmo with her hands while the rest of her body flew out from it.  “ I’m floating, I’m floating!”  She wasn’t afraid. I was amazed at this and her strength. We were laughing ecstatically together at the phenomenon, both of us giddy and perhaps a bit fearful.  I knew she could fly off, but saw that it would be a soft landing and we were having so much fun, something that could not be replicated, and could only happen now.  Just Lulu and I, spinning in space. Whizzy dizzy, a moment of pure joy, suspended in time between heaven and earth hurtling through the cosmos. She lost her grip in the momentum and flew off, scattered amongst the wood chips. I flew down to join her. We took a moment. “I’m okay” she said, and we hopped back on for another spin. 
Choosing to join the moment and allowing myself to be immersed, inspired me beyond anything I could have conjured otherwise. It seemed as if the whole universe was at once facilitating this pure meeting of souls, reaching forward and backward in time, yet timeless.  We were at the very center.  As said by Zen Master Haukin,  “If you forget yourself you become the universe” 

The interplay of science, art and spirit
In the Scientific American, an article highlighted a study that showed, people who were more practiced at letting go had better immune systems, healthy behaviors and fewer physical problems than those who are more challenged at letting go.  Participants who practiced non-attachment, similar to letting go, in a study by the Australian Catholic University, were shown to be better at managing time, social situations, achieving goals, and flexibly adapting to new situations by changing their points of view when faced with contradictory evidence than those who don’t. Creative problem solving, like play, can open us up to new possibilities that may go unnoticed in a grasping or closed mindset. Many spiritual disciplines, including yoga, taoism and buddhism teach practices to help followers let go with the aim of freeing oneself and becoming more aware of the interconnectedness of life. 
Cultivating our ability to adapt to life and all of its challenges requires an increasing amount of flexibility and creativity.  Practicing letting go of rigid ways of seeing things, allowing ourselves to be swept up in the adventure of the moment, seeking open mindedness and playfulness will enable us to see things with new eyes, to be inspired and reinvigorate the work ahead. 
“For art to appear, we have to disappear. Everything around us becomes a surprise, new and fresh. Self and environment unite.” - Stephen Nachmonovitch, jazz musician, Free Play

The practical part

There is a structure that contains and allows for letting go.  As with improvisational music, there is a language specific to an instrument which is also shared between instruments and musicians. Within that structure lies infinite possibility. The structure helps to define the spontaneous expression. Following a discipline creates a space in which we can practice releasing, a paradoxical reality.  While learning to let go with Lottie and Lulu, the necessary frame consisted of their need to play , my willingness, the playground and the whizzy dizzy apparatus.  We could lean into the setting and be free to express our joy.
“Choreograph, then dance…creativity needs borders, individuality needs resistance, the earth needs gravity, without them there is no form, no art, just chaos”. - Matthew McConaughey - Greenlights

Thank you for reading. I hope you find inspiration from my experiences. In my next post I will outline specific practices to help with letting go of all that we are asked to hold on to.