Stick to something that is no longer there

We are in the midst of a crazy time.

The coronavirus and the measures completely change the known world of many.

Do you also find yourself trying to hold on to what the world was like before all the madness started? You want everything to stay the same?

I experience that myself, but my experience is that holding on to something that is no longer is quite difficult.

Let me tell you a story.

When I learned snowboarding… long ago…. we went to the french alps.

We had booked some snowboard lessons because we couldn't do anything at all.

The school where we booked assured us that the instructor spoke good English and that we were going to have a lot of fun.

After the first lessons it turned out that our group was half filled with French and half filled with English speakers.

We were at the top of a slope, everyone was clicked on their snowboard in the snow waiting for instructions. The teacher first gave a long French story to all French students… he told us you… later…

The French snowboarders went down the slope one by one after his instructions.

Then it was our turn… now we learned what his English knowledge was.

All he said was ... 'okay, so do like this'…. and then he snowboarded down smoothly and never came back.

We looked at each other surprised and went to try it anyway.

Fall without fear

There we went. I especially remember fear, fear of falling, a tense body that wanted to hold on to what it knew. Everything was tense about me. Afraid to fall, Afraid to lose the security I had. Afraid of what I did not know, I constantly held back.

And precisely because I could not let myself go, because I could not surrender to sliding down ... I fell. Time and again. 

I held back and slowed the flow, I slowed the speed and with that the fun.

Only when I could surrender to the almost free fall down the mountain… That was only on day three when everything about me was bright and blue. Only when I thought f * ck let it go then ... only then did it work.

I had fun, adrenaline rushed through my blood vessels, the snow was soft and so warm. It was delicious.

Only then did I manage to climb the hill that came after this descent.

So let go, break loose with everything you know, with everything that was ... what is no longer there. When the virus is over, the world will look different. And then you better have a little speed, then it is much easier to get back on the next mountain. If you surrender now, you will notice that you will recover smoothly and safely.

Stay safe, stay healthy.