Trust the Process

By kristijojedlicki on October 15, 2018 • ( 2 )

Let it go. Allow things to unfold. Just be patient. Trust the process. I have heard these wise words, and variations of them, countless times over the years. Most of the time, these words have received a less than enthusiastic welcome by yours truly. Upon hearing them, I typically recoil and am left feeling utterly frustrated by such deceptively simple, straightforward advice. Recently, though, that has started to change. Finally.

Although I do not consider myself to be the outdoorsy type, I do love being outdoors. Whether it be running the trails, walking through my neighborhood, or reading on my front porch, I feel more centered and at peace outdoors. When not trapped by the confines of an enclosed physical space, I find that my thoughts flow more freely and randomly. From a series of random thoughts accumulated during recent forays outside, I began to understand the concept of trusting the process in a way that made sense to me.

As I observed life outdoors, I thought of how there is a balance of consistency and adaptation. There is a certain synchronicity to it all. The ecosystem. The weather. The change of seasons. The rising and setting of the sun and the moon. The formation of the clouds. The changes in the weather and climate. And on and on. Everything is connected in ways that I do not necessarily know or understand, and it all unfolds, as it should and when it should. I do not need to worry about it; manipulate it; cajole it; or attempt to control it. I do not give much thought to all of the wonders of nature that I take for granted, as I trust in the divine order of things, even all of those things that I do not see or grasp.

As I thought about my blind faith and trust in all that is seen and unseen in nature, I found myself wishing I could take that same stance in my own life. It was a nagging thought that pestered me. Gradually, the wistful longing began to give way to a fledgling trust in myself and in the Universe. Perhaps, I could let go. Allow things to unfold. Just be patient. Trust the process.

As the weather continues to cool down, I continue to warm up more and more to this idea. As I loosen my death grip on certain situations, my anxiety and fears have begun to fall away like the leaves on the trees. I had been concerned that trusting the process and letting go were equated with quitting and giving up hope, but I am discovering that quite the opposite is true. The more I take a step back, the more I feel as if I am moving forward, unencumbered of doubt and emboldened by hope. That is a good feeling indeed, and I could definitely get used to it.

That’s another story . . .