Unassigned
When I was little, one of my favorite books to read before bed was Goodnight Moon.
And I’m sure I’m not alone. Goodnight Moon, which has been a childhood classic since the 50′s, is a story about a bunny who goes through his bedtime ritual of wishing various items in his bedroom “goodnight.”
This book came to my mind the other night as I was laying in bed trying to quiet my mind from all of the thoughts that were swirling around.
You see, I find that I do most of my best creative thinking at night; which certainly comes in handy when I’m working on a story but can be crippling when I’m trying to fall asleep.
And while the bunny in Goodnight Moon says goodnight to things like the moon and his toys, the things I find myself struggling to bid “goodnight” are less concrete and commonly involve some form of worry or stress.
I have often laid awake tossing and turning over things that I cannot change and things that I have little-to-no control over. This fruitless activity reminds me of the well-known saying, “…do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Which brought me back to the bunny. And I think I could learn a thing or two from him.
So last night, as I blinked into the darkness, I reluctantly started to release and surrender the things that were weighing me down. And sounded a little something like this:
Goodnight trying to figure it all out.
Goodnight to-do list.
Goodnight what people think.
Goodnight feeling sorry for myself.
Goodnight not asking for help.
Goodnight hidden agendas.
Goodnight future plans.
Goodnight what if.
Goodnight unforgiveness.
Goodnight envy.
Goodnight credit card debt.
Goodnight should’ve, would’ve and could’ve.
Goodnight unresolved conflict.
Goodnight unhealthy relationships.
Goodnight dirty dishes.
Goodnight best kept secrets.
Goodnight deadlines.
Goodnight google calendar.
Goodnight half-completed projects.
Goodnight regret.
And it’s as simple as that. Ok, its not.
But what a change of perspective we will experience if we allow ourselves to release but for a moment all that we so desperately cling to and define ourselves by.
There is beauty in saying “I don’t know.” There is beauty in surrender. And we could all use more of both.
