“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
~ E.M. Forster
“Rather than being disheartened by the uncertainty of life,
what if we accepted it and relaxed into it?
What if we said,
‘Yes this is the way it is;
this is what it meant so be human,’
and decided to sit and down and enjoy the ride?”
~Pema Chödrön
*all artwork on Picnic with Ants created by W. Holcombe unless otherwise noted.
I do have acceptance. It made all the difference in how I saw my life. We have a future, it’s just in a different direction than we thought it was going to go. It’s better.
Agree with the First quote, but not with the second, my Dear Wendy. I keep Fighting for Change, where and when necessary. If and when that does not happen, THEN I accept it. 🙂
Keep trying and being gentle as we do so — It’s the ONLY way, I know you’re right – but some days it’s harder than others.
While I agree with Swami that some things need to be fought (like in the political arena right now), and some things about our lives need to change, which means we can’t “accept” those either — BUT — moment by moment, struggling inside doesn’t help. That’s where acceptance is golden. Beautiful artwork on a beautiful post.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to transform a world!”
But is acceptance giving up? It may include accepting the obstacles that are there rather than having the extra obstacle of internal angst? I’m trying to understand “radical acceptance” from dialectical behaviour therapy. Does it mean “I cannot do this because of my mental health”? Or is it acceptance of loss? Or does acceptance mean I have my own unique path and the destination is uncertain enjoy the journey (of which I’m an active participant). Perhaps others have other understandings. But it reminds me of a more Buddhist understanding of forgiveness- letting go of anger to find peace in yourself – not forgetting or thinking ok. Thoughtful quotes, beautiful artwork and interesting discussion. Thank you Wendy.
I don’t believe that “giving up” is a useful strategy. But struggling inside, fighting against what’s so, won’t work either. To my mind, thinking opens up when we accept that there are some things we must work around and other things we must attempt to avoid – always with one eye toward what they call “opportunity cost.” Often we discover that time and energy will be better spent moving on.
Nice comparison to “forgiveness” btw. Helpful.
xx,
mgh
I too don’t think acceptance is giving up, and your comparison to forgiveness is spot on.
I accept that I’m sick, that doesn’t mean I’ve given up trying to get well.
Accepting things as they are, doesn’t mean I can’t work to change them.
Thank you all for such a wonderful discussion.
Thank you, Faith. I did it on a computer painting program. It’s a fun little thing, just a free app for my tablet.
I really need to be creating more, I’ve been in a slump.
Picnic with Ants 
Reblogged this on Lorraine's frilly freudian slip and commented:
Once again, wise words — to allow life to find us, to relax into it . . .
And, another piece of Wendy’s wonderful art.
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Thank you Lorraine, you are so kind.
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I enjoy sharing your mindfulness. I’m not mindful on my own.
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Hi Wendy! Acceptance. Are you there? I found I could breath again once I settled into the life I HAVE… the one waiting for me! (and you!)
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I do have acceptance. It made all the difference in how I saw my life. We have a future, it’s just in a different direction than we thought it was going to go. It’s better.
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Agree with the First quote, but not with the second, my Dear Wendy. I keep Fighting for Change, where and when necessary. If and when that does not happen, THEN I accept it. 🙂
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These are hard to follow but these rules followed in different aspects of life would bring a lot of good, I think.
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The goal is to keep trying, but be gentle with yourself on the way. 🙂
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Keep trying and being gentle as we do so — It’s the ONLY way, I know you’re right – but some days it’s harder than others.
While I agree with Swami that some things need to be fought (like in the political arena right now), and some things about our lives need to change, which means we can’t “accept” those either — BUT — moment by moment, struggling inside doesn’t help. That’s where acceptance is golden. Beautiful artwork on a beautiful post.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
“It takes a village to transform a world!”
LikeLiked by 1 person
But is acceptance giving up? It may include accepting the obstacles that are there rather than having the extra obstacle of internal angst? I’m trying to understand “radical acceptance” from dialectical behaviour therapy. Does it mean “I cannot do this because of my mental health”? Or is it acceptance of loss? Or does acceptance mean I have my own unique path and the destination is uncertain enjoy the journey (of which I’m an active participant). Perhaps others have other understandings. But it reminds me of a more Buddhist understanding of forgiveness- letting go of anger to find peace in yourself – not forgetting or thinking ok. Thoughtful quotes, beautiful artwork and interesting discussion. Thank you Wendy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t believe that “giving up” is a useful strategy. But struggling inside, fighting against what’s so, won’t work either. To my mind, thinking opens up when we accept that there are some things we must work around and other things we must attempt to avoid – always with one eye toward what they call “opportunity cost.” Often we discover that time and energy will be better spent moving on.
Nice comparison to “forgiveness” btw. Helpful.
xx,
mgh
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Thank you for your thoughtful response . I think I’m still working out what I need to avoid! Lol
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Aren’t we all?
xx, mgh
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I too don’t think acceptance is giving up, and your comparison to forgiveness is spot on.
I accept that I’m sick, that doesn’t mean I’ve given up trying to get well.
Accepting things as they are, doesn’t mean I can’t work to change them.
Thank you all for such a wonderful discussion.
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Beautiful flowers, Wendy 🙂 💚 💐 🌷 🌸 🌹 🌿
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Thank you, Faith. I did it on a computer painting program. It’s a fun little thing, just a free app for my tablet.
I really need to be creating more, I’ve been in a slump.
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And I thought it was old fashioned college-painting! Creating does us good 🙂
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Wonderful quotes. Thank you.
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