Trusting (Author Unknown) Trust is a confusing thing. It seems - TopicsExpress

Trusting (Author Unknown) Trust is a confusing thing. It seems so simple, but when you try to pin it down, it can be elusive. I think of the way that my body sits on a surface thats new to me, unknown. And how my muscles remain tight, anticipating anything, and Im constantly aware of that surface. Over time, with familiarity, I can relax and start to lean back. For many of us, that initial tension exists so much of the time. We expend so much energy watching, and calculating, trying to predict, reading signals in people, ready for anything to change suddenly. Preparing to be disappointed. So much energy spent. We talk about trust as something you build, as if it is a structure or a thing, but in that building there seems to be something about letting go. And what it affords us is a luxury. It allows us to stop thinking. To stop worrying that someone wont catch us if we fall, to stop constantly scanning for inconsistencies, to stop wondering how other people act when they are not in our presence. It allows us to relax a part of our minds, so that we can focus on whats in front of us. And thats why its such a tragedy when its broken. A betrayal can make you think of all the other betrayals that are waiting for you in things you havent thought of, in people you rely on. And you can feel yourself tightening up--bracing and in the worst cases, you might resolve to trust no one. But, that doesnt really work. Trust is your relationship to the unknown, what you cant control. And you cant control everything. And its not all or none. Its a slow and steady practice of learning about the capacity of the world. And its worth it. To keep trying. And its not easy. I imagine trust as these invisible hands that we stretch out into the world, looking for someone to hold on to as we walk into the unknown future.