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It’s beyond reason, really—how the mind works.
How it clings. How it convinces us that what it holds onto is real—even when it’s long gone.
A memory from yesterday. A conversation from years ago. A thought we just can’t seem to drop.
But no matter how vividly we think of the past, we never move closer to it.
Instead, we drift further away from the only place life actually happens—this moment.
The present.
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A Lesson from the River
Let’s turn to nature—our oldest teacher.
Imagine yourself sitting by the river, your legs soaked in the cool, flowing water.
Each drop that passes through your feet is like a moment in life—passing, moving, alive.
Try as you may, you cannot catch that drop once it has flowed away.
Whether it was crystal clear or muddy, still or swift—it’s gone.
The same is true for our experiences—joyful, painful, confusing. Once they pass, they’re no longer here.
But the mind—our dear, clever mind—tries to chase them anyway.
It convinces us that maybe, just maybe, we can think our way back.
That if we replay it enough, we can fix it. Relive it. Understand it better.
But we can’t. And we don’t have to.
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A Simple Practice: Letting Go Like the River
Here’s something I love to do when my mind clings too tightly:
Visualise the water.
Feel a drop brushing past your skin.
Now, imagine that drop carrying away an experience, a memory, a feeling that feels too much to hold.
Watch it flow away. Let it go.
Now pause and ask:
What does my body feel like now, with just that one drop gone?
You might notice a lightness.
Or space.
Or simply a deeper breath.
That’s the body remembering its nature: to release, not to retain.
A Lesson from the Sea
Now let’s walk to the sea.
The waves are steady, rhythmic, alive—each one bringing something in, and taking something away.
With every wave that comes in, visualise it bringing something you long for:
Love. Safety. Freedom. Health. Abundance.
Feel it arrive in your body.
And as the wave retreats, let it carry something you no longer need:
A fear. A doubt. A tightness. A memory that weighs you down.
Let it go with the tide.
Notice again:
What does your body feel like after this exchange?
This is not fantasy. This is embodiment. This is presence.
The Shift Begins Here
We can’t force our minds to stop clinging. But we can teach them how to feel safe enough to let go.
Nature shows us the way.
The river flows forward. The sea gives and receives.
Your body remembers how to do the same.
So next time your thoughts are stuck in the past,
Come back to the water.
Feel your feet in the flow.
Breathe.
And let it go.
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