What are you attached to?
Sara Wilson, CPCC |
On my recent trip to Africa, what began as a simple act of generosity turned into a surprisingly strong mental challenge that made me reflect on attachment.
We can be attached to things, people, our self perceptions, the list goes on and on. It turns out my attachment was to a pair of sport sunglasses. Yep, it surprised me too.
One of the many highlights of the trip was a visit to a Masai village. r guides were sons of the local chief. In the course of our interaction, one of the sons inquired about my sunglasses. I shared how important they were for reducing the impact of the sun and dust on my eyes. He was curious and seemed to really like the glasses but of course didn’t ask for them and frankly I probably exuded an attitude of “these are my favorite glasses and I’m not parting with them.”
As I was sitting in the van ready to leave, I thought “he needs those glasses more than I do.” So I called him over and he was thrilled to have the glasses.
The surprise came when, for days afterwards, I found myself thinking about those glasses. And I asked myself:
- Why the attachment?
- Where else do I have attachments to things and how does it impact me?
- How does it align with my purpose and values?
What are you attached to? How does the attachment serve you? How may it hinder you?