Hey, welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, we're going to talk about holding on and letting go. There's a story about how hunters used to catch monkeys in India. It's kind of a sad story. They would cut a coconut in half, hollow out one side and drill a hole in the center that was just big enough for the monkey to put its hand through.

After this, they drill two smaller holes on each side of the coconut, pass a wire through and secure the coconut to the base of a tree with the banana underneath. Then they hide. A short while later, a monkey smells the banana, comes down the tree and reaches its hand into the coconut to grab the banana. But the hole is just big enough for the monkey to put its hand through, not to pull it out with the banana in hand. So what happens? The monkey pulls and pulls, but can't get the banana through.

This is where the poachers come in. They see the, the monkey struggling. They start walking toward it. The monkey sees the poachers. Pulling, pulling, pulling.

Poachers come closer. Eventually all they need to do is pick the monkey up. All the while, the monkey completely blind to the fact that holding onto the banana is the very thing that leads to its own demise. So, I'm curious, what things in your life are you holding onto that are no longer serving you in a positive way, that may actually be causing you more suffering? Is it a past relationship and wanting to get back to that feeling you had with someone? Or is it an identity you once had? A way of being in the world or a job title that created a sense of ego or sense of self that you're trying to recreate, but it's actually getting in the way of you evolving into the person you can become? A lot of times, you know, it's natural for the mind to hold onto the things it wants. But if we don't pay careful enough attention, we miss that, that holding on is actually getting in the way of the happiness we could be experiencing.

So as you go throughout your day to day and beyond, see if you can notice where this might be coming up for you. Where are you still grasping at things, things that aren't actually here anymore, but you're trying to recreate for a sense of happiness or wellbeing? And what would it be like to practice letting go of some of those so that you can evolve into the person you are trying to become. Try this out. Thank you for your practice. And we'll talk to you soon.

Until then, take care.