Holding on too tightly

I am listening to a book by Suneel Gupta, Everyday Dharma.

In the fourth chapter, he shares the story of the time he went on a week-long meditation retreat. It was going poorly for him, and he decided to leave. Before he could leave, a monk told him that the monastery’s abbot would like to speak to him.

He walked up a hill to the Abbot’s house. The Abbot served him tea, and when Suneel picked the handle-less cup, he set it down so quickly that it dropped against the table. The heat was too much. Somehow, the abbot could hold his tea from the sides of the cup. The abbot then advised him to hold his cup in a soft grip. The lessons in my mind clicked together.

How do you hold onto life? Were you taught to “Grab life by the horns” or “Seize the day?”

Isn’t life a blessing to appreciate and care for? How do you hold things you appreciate and care for? How do you hold someone you love? How do you hold a baby?

What if we hurt what we love when we hold on too tight? What if the right grip on life is a relaxed one? The more delicate the situation, the softer our touch should be. I’m guilty of gripping the things I love too tightly, and they tend to run away from me. If it just clicked for you, too, don’t feel bad. Don’t hold on to regret too tightly. I’ll let you in on a little secret learned this lesson five minutes ago. Try to gently hold what you love, and let me know what you think. I’ll do a follow-up post with the other parts of the lessons that clicked with this story.