RELAX AND ENJOY THE RIDE

ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT JUMPING OUT OF AIRPLANES IS THAT THERE IS AT LEAST ONE ASPECT OF THE SPORT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MESS UP. WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO OPEN THE DOOR AND GET OUT OF THE PLANE, ONE THING IS CERTAIN. YOU WILL FALL. THERE WILL BE WIND THAT YOU CAN USE TO CONTROL YOUR MOVEMENT THROUGH THE AIR, AND YOU WILL GET BACK TO THE GROUND. SO RELAX. ENJOY THE RIDE.



SOME THINGS IN LIFE ARE THAT WAY, TOO. WE CAN BE AS TENSE OR AS RELAXED AS WE WANT TO AND THE THING WILL NOT CHANGE--OTHER PEOPLE, THE WEATHER, THE DRIVER IN FRONT OF YOU ON THE FREEWAY. OFTEN THERE IS NOTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO AFFECT A SITUATION, AND YET WE WILL FIGHT WITH THE UNIVERSE, TENSE UP, AND TRY TO CONTROL THESE RATHER THAN JUST RELAXING AND LEARNING TO USE WHAT IS TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.



THERE IS NO NEED TO CHANG THE UNIVERSE. IT WAS BEFORE THIS LIFETIME,AND IT WILL BE LONG AFTER YOU HAVE PASSED. YOU CAN CHOOSE TO SPEND YOUR LIFE FIGHTING IT, OR YOU CAN RELAX , LET GO OF YOUR CONTROL, AND LEARN TO WORK WITH AND WITHIN IT.


HAVE YOU BEEN FIGHTING AGAINST GRAVITY TRYING TO GET BACK IN THE PLANE? LET GO OF THE UNCONTROLLABLE SITUATIONS IN YOUR LIFE. LET THEM BE WHAT THEY ARE. RELAX AND LEARN TO WORK WITH THEM RATHER THAN AGAINST THEM. YOU WILL HAVE MORE STRENGTH AND SUCCESS WHEN YOU DO. YOU MIGHT EVEN HAVE SOME FUN.



SOMETIMES IN LIFE, NO MATTER HOW DEEPLY WE INTEND TO MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS POSSIBLE FOR OURSELVES, THING HAPPEN. MARRIAGES END, JOBS TURN SOUR, FRIENDS WANE. FOR REASONS OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL OR UNDERSTANDING, THE SITUATION TWISTS AND TURNS IN SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT WE BARGAINED FOR.


HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING FOR A SITUATION TO REVERT TO WHAT IT ORIGINALLY WAS OR WHAT YOU HOPED IT WOULD BE WHEN YOU GOT IN? ARE YOU TELLING YOURSELF THAT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU, WHEN THE REALITY IS, THE SITUATION HAS CHANGED INTO SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WAS? THINGS OFTEN DON'T GO AS SMOOTHLY AS WE PLANNED. SOMETHINGS, WE NEED TO ENDURE AND GET THROUGH THE ROUGH SPOTS. BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT THOSE GENUINELY DIFFICULT MOMENTS WHEN LIFE SUDDENLY TWISTS ON US.

THESE ARE THE TIMES WE NEED TO QUIT TORTURING OURSELVES. LET GO OF WHAT YOU THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN. IF LIFE HAS TWISTED ON YOU, DON'T TURN ON YOURSELF. DON'T TRY TO MAKE THINGS BE THE WAY THEY WERE. COME UP TO SPEED. RETURN TO NOW. LET YOURSELF ACCEPT THE NEW SITUATION AT HAND.


THE ROAD ISN'T ALWAYS A STRAIGHT COURSE. SOMETIMES, EVEN A PATH WITH HEART UNEXPECTEDLY TWISTS AND TURNS.
GOD, HELP ME RELAX AND TRUST MYSELF ENOUGH DEAL WITH REALITY, NOT MY FANTASY OF WHAT I HOPED IT WOULD BE.