One thing airline passengers struggle with is letting go of their portable electronic devices. The attachment to these devices can prevent them from being present to the moment at hand. On every flight we see passengers come on board the aircraft attempting to get in as much airtime before we get in the air. Or, maybe they have ear plugs stuck in their ears or multi-colored headsets that prevent them from hearing you welcome them on board. Or, maybe they are so intent with text messaging they stumble when stepping on board or run into the person in front of them. These antics are so symbolic of our unhealthy attachments to our things.
We all have attachments. Some are essential such as oxygen, food, water, chocolate and our cameras. On a personal note I find I’m attached to my quiet times, my dreams, my walks, my laptop, my lattes, my journals, my pen, my iphone, chocolate, my camera and now a Kindle. I am also attached to my spiritual journey and hopefully that is a positive attachment. If you don’t think I’m attached to things just read back over this paragraph and see how many times I wrote “my.” That suggests a pretty tight grip on things!
Hopefully, I’m learning to “let go” of some of my attachments. As I’ve grown older, my list of attachments has decreased. A quick list would include the following: I’ve attached myself in relationships with hopes of not losing them when in reality I only strangled them. I attached myself to a career until I realized I was far more than an engineer trapped in an 8×8 cube. I attached myself with alcohol until I accepted the fact it had attached itself to me. I clung to my opinions with the assumptions they were right rather than accepting them as only one view in life. I attached myself to my fears which immobilized me. I attached myself to religion, a church and dogma until I realized I had allowed them to become an obstacle rather than a tool on a spiritual path. I’m working on all of these to release the attachment I have with them. We are so much freer to fly, create, live life when we do. When I’m honest with myself, I always seem unfulfilled when clinging tightly to these attachments?
I venture to say my primary attachment is my “camera.” It has for the past 7-8 years always been at my side. In fact I’ve purchased at least a half dozen camera bags in an effort to find a comfortable way to keep my camera attached to me. I’m always looking for a bag that fits my camera with a second lens, my journal, a book to read and chocolate.
As a final note, with the small bonus I received this past year I bought another camera bag, just to make sure I have one of my attachments attached with a new attachment. 🙂