Letting Go

I was listening to all the current stories of a person I thought I used to know, a person who played a significant role in my past with disbelief that I really didn’t know that person at all or maybe I just chose not to see them for who they really were. I was more disillusioned at the role I must have played in their life…very different from the role I hoped in my heart to be true. After several days of thinking about this and our past relationship, I realized I was wasting valuable time and energy on something and someone I could not control.

I could not change the past or change the person but I could choose to let go and move on.

I had been planning for several weeks to drive for a quick weekend trip to Birmingham to see my niece’s dance recital. I had just visited at Easter and I have been traveling a lot for work lately so I knew this trip was not what was best for me. But since I have moved away I continue to struggle with the guilt of missing birthdays, holidays, parties, etc. for friends and family.

As I lay awake at 4am on Friday morning (the day I was supposed to leave) I realized that I had to let go of the guilt I carry about my move. Living here is what is best for me and just because I can’t be at every function down south does not change how important my friends and family are to me. So early Friday I called my family and gave them the news that I had decided not to travel without feeling guilty, a definite first for me.

You can probably relate to one of the above situations where holding onto something such as fear, disappointments, failure, your past, or guilt was wearing you down. Holding on to negative feelings zaps your joy and builds resentment in your heart.

The great news is there is an alternative – letting go. Give yourself permission to move on and relish in the freedom you will feel from simply letting go.