Happy Detachment

Have you ever wondered what you could do if you only concentrated? There is a Buddhist philosophy where if you just concentrate on something, and will it to be with detachment, then anything is possible. Detachment is key. If you are willing something to happen and concentrating on something, you’re likely to become miserable waiting for it to happen just like you wanted. Its like the watched pot that seems like it will never boil. Eventually the water will boil (as long as you remotely know how to use a stove) but it may not seem like exactly what you expected.

Anyway, I digress. I have all of these wants. For example, I want to be able to stand on my own two feet and thrive in a foreign country where the culture and the people are completely foreign to me. But what I get instead is a large accompaniment of friends and family members making sure I’m ok. Perhaps this is the universe’s (or my mother’s) way of ensuring that I keep to my feet.

Its not that I’m not grateful to both my mother and the universe; its more the principle of the matter. This was something that I wanted to do for myself on my own. I planned the trip, I financed it, and I’m dealing with my problems while I’m here. But now there is someone else to lean on other than myself. Perhaps that is where the detachment comes along in the Buddhist philosophy. In truth, I’m in China. I will be doing an internship that will hopefully lead to a job in a company that will perhaps bring me back to this amazing country one day. And I’m happy I’m here. And I am happy that I have the love of amazing friends and family to support me. So even though this is not how I planned, I’m glad for the experience and for the position I’m currently in. I'll detach from my idea of what this trip will be like, and embrace the random journey that we all are a part of.