Surrender Dorothy!

Before this month, the last time I thought about surrender was either while watching a WWII movie or during a Dove chocolate commercial (probably playing in the middle of the movie).

So I have to say that tackling this topic has been slightly unwieldy. It's not a common occurrence for us to face surrender -- or to surrender things. Or is it?

The first thing I discovered about surrender is that there is always an opposing force. Either I surrender something (like my dignity, say, when I run into the door frame at work in front of a class full of students) or I surrender to something (like giving in to my urge for a Take 5 at work*). But if I'm surrendering something, I'm giving it away to someone or something, and if I surrender to something I'm giving IN to someone or something. One cannot surrender in a vacuum. (One can, however, surrender TO a vacuum. Another story all together.)

The second thing I'm learning about surrender is that it's not 100% virtuous. At first I was attempting to surrender my misconceptions, my expectations, and my demands, while at the same time surrendering to the current moment, the situation at hand, or the flow of the universe. And then I realized that there are times at which surrender isn't called for, and yet I surrender anyway. (See Take 5 comment, above.)

So the challenge for surrender is about striking an adequate balance between releasing what doesn't serve me, and releasing into what does.

I'm beginning to examine the difference between surrender and submission, surrender and resignation, surrender and quitting, and surrender and relinquishing. While these are all pretty heady distinctions, I think they're important because the other words all have a negative connotation to me, but surrender doesn't.

Though maybe it should...

Luckily, I still have half a month to consider it.

Join me? I've got another call scheduled on Sunday, March 21st at 4:30 p.m. Surrender to it!

Oh, and p.s. Do you know where "Surrender Dorothy" comes from? I'm surprised at the number of people who haven't been getting my reference...

*in my defense, have you ever HAD a Take 5? Chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels, rich, single millionaires... all in one bite!