“Don’t push so hard against the world. You can’t do it all alone, and if you could, would you really want to? Even though you’re a big strong girl, come on lay down the best laid plans, come on, lay down your open hand.”

One of my “mantras” in the spiritual life comes from St. John Climacus in “The Ladder of Divine Ascent”. One of the first few steps is, “Live life with an open hand.” Let God take things out and put things in as He sees fit. No fist clenching. I have been stuck on that step for many years, and may never move past it, but it has been very, very fruitful, none-the-less.

What I find amazing, is that we have never met, we live very far apart, have amazingly different lives, and yet, what you write resonates so completely with my own life’s experiences. The details are very different, but the underlying principles and emotions are so very much the same.

Blessings!

I think I sum up the van-reversing lesson as “just because I can, doesn’t mean I should”. I think if there is something that I am at least theoretically capable of doing, it is hard not to make myself do it (to should on myself) … even when it causes stress or other sorts of ‘out-of-balance-ness’ . Thank you for sharing your learning and en-couraging all of us who need to be brave enough to ask for help and to let ourselves receive what is there for us.