One of my college friend contacted me once for a while over the years. Last year, when he realized that I was divorced, he started to send me daily Bible story. And I am a Buddhist.
Every morning, when I check my email, the story is there. Sometimes, I read the story. Sometimes, I simple delete it when my mail box is full. But every morning when I see his email, I know he is there for me as a dear friend.
To me, he is fully engaged in my life (all the way across the Pacific Ocean) and he is not attached to what I do with the stories. He just wants me to have a great life. That’s a great example of being engaged and not attached.
When I coach my clients about relationships, I see attachment to certain outcome always creates conflicts. Then, people withdraw from the relationship because they don’t like the impact of conflicts. Therefore, engagement is gone and life is shirking. For me, I choose to be engaged and I constantly learn not to be attached through the breakdowns of attachments. It’s a journey I am willing to be with.
What do you choose to do with your engagement and attachment?