“You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”
- Mary Oliver, Wild Geese
We spend a lot of time talking about letting go.
Letting go of old stories, expectations, grief, disappointments, and the things that no longer serve us. But what about the other side of letting go?
What are we making room to receive?
In Taoist Chinese medicine, Autumn is associated with the Metal element, represented by the Lung and Large Intestine. These two organs offer us a beautiful teaching about the natural rhythm of receiving, discerning, and releasing.
And it's a lesson I've been thinking about quite a bit because, honestly, receiving is one of my hardest practices.
The challenge of receiving
I'm much more comfortable giving than receiving. I can offer support, show up for others, hold space, and express appreciation. But when someone offers something beautiful to me, whether it's a compliment, acknowledgement, kindness, or love, I often notice how quickly I deflect it, minimize it, or move on.
It's something I continue to practice.
One of my mentors, Bob Duggan, taught me a beautiful lesson about this.
Bob had a practice of acknowledging others and allowing himself to be acknowledged. When someone said something nice to him, he would respond:
"I'm practicing taking in acknowledgement. Would you say that again so I can really take it in?"
I loved this about Bob!
Think about what a different experience that creates. Instead of brushing off a compliment, making light of it, or immediately returning one, he would pause and allow the other person's words to actually land.
He wasn't just hearing the acknowledgement. He was receiving it.
I wrote more about Bob and some of the wisdom he shared with me in The Upset Is Optional (In Loving Memory of Bob Duggan).
A simple practice: Let it land
The next time someone offers you a compliment or acknowledges something in you, resist the urge to deflect, explain it away, or immediately return the compliment.
Just pause.
Take a breath.
Let it land.
And if you are really brave, you can even borrow Bob's line:
"I'm practicing taking in acknowledgement. Would you say that again so I can really take it in?"
What a beautiful practice. It allows the other person to feel heard, too, and creates a moment of genuine connection.
The wisdom of the Metal element: Receiving and letting go
The Lung and Large Intestine are the two organs associated with the Metal element, and both carry this beautiful wisdom of receiving and letting go.
The Lung receives the breath, the nourishment of life, and the world around us.
The Large Intestine, in its own way, continues that process of discernment. It extracts whatever remaining nourishment and goodness can be found, separating what is precious from what is no longer needed.
I sometimes think of it as finding the diamond in the rough, recognizing the last bits of value before releasing the rest.
Together, these organs remind us that letting go isn't simply about getting rid of things. It's about first recognizing what is worth keeping, what has nourished us, what we can learn from, and what we are ready to release.
And perhaps this is true in our emotional and spiritual lives, too.
Can we receive the goodness? Can we recognize the nourishment? Can we take in the love and acknowledgement being offered to us, rather than brushing it aside?
We cannot live by exhaling alone. We must also be willing to inhale, to receive, and to allow ourselves to be nourished.
An invitation
Perhaps this week, we can practice receiving a little more fully.
Receive the compliment. Receive the kindness. Receive the help. Receive the beauty of a moment without feeling the need to do anything with it.
We don't always have to be the ones giving, fixing, supporting, or making things happen.
Sometimes the practice is simply allowing ourselves to be nourished.
What if receiving were just as important a practice as giving?
With love,
Lance
Village Wellness
Explore more ways to connect at Village Wellness:
Women's Moon Circle with Hannah: A monthly gathering for connection, reflection, and community. Learn more.
Human Design with Aaron: Personalized sessions exploring your energetic blueprint, decision-making, and relationships. Learn more.