My New Mantra – Enthusiasm without Attachment

My daughter will be graduating from high school in less than two months. It’s a time of big changes and big decisions. And many of them are outside my control. She wants to go to school far away. How will she do on her own? Will she find a major she loves that can also get her a good job?  As I grappled with my feelings and fears, these words came to me – enthusiasm without attachment. I want to remain enthused about the possibilities without having my happiness depend on the outcomes. This idea reminds me of the quote by Byron Katie,

“I am a lover of what is, not because I’m a spiritual person, but because it hurts when I argue with reality.”

Now I’m finding multiple situations where these words seem to fit. I’m working on a project to create an online course related to health and lifestyle choices. I can offer my opinions to the team, but I’m not in charge of making the decisions. There are times when I wonder about their approach or their ideas. But I love this project, the team, and the organization, and I’m excited to be part of it. I remind myself to stay enthused but unattached to the outcomes.

A large parcel of land came up for sale that’s adjacent to our property. We’ve been hoping to purchase it for years. We can see the property line from our dining room, and we really don’t want to have a new house right there. This may not seem like a big deal, but we live in the country, and our current closest neighbor is a quarter mile away, and you can’t see our house from the road. We love our privacy. But the land went for a lot more than the asking price, and we didn’t get it. So we are trying to stay enthused about having new neighbors while not being attached to the outcome. Where will they build their new house? Will they be nice neighbors?

What situations in your life could benefit from staying enthused without attachment? What would that look and feel like?