I was cycling around with Juan (my new Spanish buddy) in Asturias exploring the new area. We were cycling down this really steep hill at one point and Juan was racing ahead while I was squeezing my brakes keeping myself at a comfortable speed. I looked up ahead and wondered how Juan was so fearless.
The terrain was really mountainous so this happened a few times, each time I asked myself how Juan was doing this. After a few more times I realised all I had to do was let go, I had to literally let go of the brakes to go faster. And when I did it was like being high.
“Let go of the past,” they say, “let go of your anger,” “let go of your ex.’
I never understood what the hell any of this meant, but this bike ride gave me a physical metaphor for it.
We hold onto things so tight sometimes we don’t realise we can loosen the grip and let go. It could be a traumatic past, or a rude comment from a stranger or holding onto the idea that you are lazy or stupid.
Sometimes you are not conscious that you are holding onto something. You stare in wonder at how people seem to flow through life. Instead of looking inwards, letting go and releasing the brakes you look outwards and say things like. “Juan knows the area much better than me, there’s nothing I can do about that.”
It could be true, but let go first and then decide whether it is true.
If you don’t understand the bike metaphor, go cycle down a steep hill yourself, or go on a roller coaster and ‘untense’ all your muscles just before the peak. Or go bungee jump. Letting go is that acceptance when you finally realise “Shit I can’t go back!”
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