Stop STOPPING
We naturally breathe, we naturally move, we naturally interact, we naturally explore; and, against our natural mode of being, we can halt everything to a stop – hold our breath, stand still, isolate ourselves from people, and ignore occurrences in the world. Once we let go of our effort to stop, things start happening again. There is value in stopping, prevent harm from entering our body, pivoting the direction we’re going, and confusing an adversary. But the value of letting go is highly underrated – being able to follow the natural sequence of events, responding to the consequences that follow and expanding our ideas and our social circles.
A tree doesn’t stop to ponder where to grow its branches, a flower doesn’t stop because there’s a pavement is in the way – they keep moving, keep stretching, keep growing to wherever the sun leads them. Babies never stop moving, they are always reaching far and stretching wide; toddlers always go for the route with the most resistance, a route where they have to climb over, crawl through. There is no concern of “what might happen”, they all just do and when things happen as a result, they do something else. What’s stopping us from “just moving” now? We put a stop on motion by reconsidering how we want to move, what type of music we need to move, who we want to share the movement with. Stop stopping, this is your body’s natural way of being, it yearns for you to just move – walk, dance, stretch, lift – and when so inspired, move differently.
A child’s mind doesn’t stop, if you leave them be, their imagination will run wild. Language is no barrier, if they don’t have the vocabulary, they make up words. Rules aren’t a barrier, especially for very young children, they are changeable and flexible to suit the child’s expectation to win. Give them the opportunity and they will find a solution or a workaround to any problem (with various degrees of success). As grown-ups we need to tap into the nearly-forgotten skill of letting our thoughts flow and not stop-start the process of thinking. “Overthinking” is like hitting the brakes on our thoughts and, in that way, preventing us from reaching a resolution. Let your ideas flow, nonsensical as they may seem to be. Meditation and mindfulness are disciplines encouraging you to stop and think of nothing. This process, rather than stopping the thinking process, actually removes the doubts and judgement on said thoughts. What you find is that within a moment of nothing, thoughts burst out freely like in a dream, no set narrative, no preparation for planning, just noticing what thoughts we think and what thoughts want to connect, “to think together”. You’re full of great ideas, set them free.
Self-doubt, limiting beliefs, preconceived assumptions on social norms are all bricks in the social wall that we build around ourselves. This metaphorical wall prevents us from actually building meaningful social connections. We are social beings and strive for various degrees of relationships – some intense full of love, some chance encounters that give us a mirror to how we are as perceived by someone who doesn’t know anything about how we got here. If we don’t interact, we miss out on opportunities to learn about our character and build it to sustain confrontations or rejections. If we don’t interact, we also miss out on opportunities to love, laugh and share the ideas and the grooves we have set free. Not every colour in the rainbow is to our liking, but zooming out, we need them all to make that magnificent display. Similarly, you’re unlikely to enjoy the company of every person you encounter in your life; however, these encounters shape you, grow you, and make you the magnificent person that you are.
Stop stopping. Let go and let yourself experience what life has to offer, let go and experience your ability to recuperate from unexpected challenges, let go and feel what it means to truly relax your body and your mind. Let go and grow like a tree – strong, entangled, blossoming and beautiful.