That's Good! No, that's bad! No, that's good! No ...

In Kids Bodhi Yoga today I read a story entitled That's Good! That's Bad! In the Grand Canyon by Margery Cuyler in which a little boy goes with his grandma on vacation to the Grand Canyon and very quickly stumbles into trouble.  After he falls off of a cliff the author exclaims, "That's bad!  ... No, that's good," because at the bottom of a cliff is a mule walking along, which the boy lands on for an easy ride down.  In response to the boy landing on the mule the author comments, "That's good!  ... No, that's bad," because then the mule starts running out of control and ends up bucking the boy off.  At this point the author inserts, "That's bad!  ... No, that's good," because the next part of the story tells of how fortunate his fate is ... until again the role is reversed and it again turns bad.  So goes the story, back and forth, forth and back ... good then bad, bad then good.  Everything that we, as readers, react to as something bad turns into something good.  On the flip side of the coin, all of the things that appeared good turned out to be not so good.  

 And so goes life.  Things, people, and experiences occur in our lives on a daily basis, all of which we are inclined to react to, labeling the pieces of our lives as either good or bad.  But just as this story illustrates, that which is good is not always what it seems, and sometimes that which appears bad really turns out being not so bad after all.  This realization helps me to see life from a more yogic perspective.  It helps me find relief in the moments that I do end up labeling as bad because it reminds me that what appears as bad to me in this moment may actually turn out to be something good (or at least good for me).  It also helps me cherish the moments labeled as good.  By knowing that in the next moment things may shift, I try and take advantage of this moment as it is now. 

This story also reminds me to let go of doubting and worrying and wondering and labeling ... and rather, accept whatever is.  If I get attached to the idea that something happening in my life is good, then the moment it shifts in any way, shape, or form, so does its label and my sense of security in that thing.  And then I tend to fret a whole lot more than if I were to simply accept the situation without a label and without an attachment, knowing that shifting will happen, for better or worse, and then again down the road more shifting will happen, for better or worse ... all of which I can't control.  Letting go and trusting rather than attaching and controlling lends itself to a much calmer way through life.  I'm more at peace when I strive to detach from an outcome or an expectation and simply accept things in each moment as they are, and then again in the next moment as they are then, and the next and the next. 

If you're inclined to use the label "good" or "bad," remember that those labels are likely to fade, shift, or change.  So you won't need to hold on to them too tightly.  Let go, trust, be present in each moment, and breathe a little easier.  

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