The Never-Ending Challenges of "Letting Go"

We have a lot of "stuff" we carry around with us, in life.

Some of it is physical and tangible... some it is purely psychological and emotional; even spiritual.

Sometimes, we're not even aware that we're packing all this stuff around with us, even though we might have moments when we feel like there's something about our lives that makes us feel perpetually "weighed down."

Of course, the tangible things are a little easier to spot, but not necessarily easier to divest ourselves of.

They might take the form of "grandma's chairs" that you have been moving around for 20 years, even though you don't actually like then, and they totally clash with your sense of decor.

And yet?

You feel like you couldn't possibly get rid of them, because "they were grandma's!"

One of the ways we often weigh ourselves down is with "stuff" we have persuaded ourselves to be "important." Or maybe not even all that important...

When I am perfectly objective about it, I have actually looked at maybe three of the many cookbooks that were my mother's... and I somehow ended up with, after she passed away.

I know that I have them — at least in part — because one of the few areas in which my mom and I "connected" was over cooking and food.

But why hang on to so many when they never get used? And why, in view of the fact that there likely are other people out there who would actually enjoy using them?

Letting Go of Ideas and Beliefs

I have always found it rather fascinating that we can end up feeling just as weighted down by thoughts and beliefs we cling to, as we can by physical stuff.

Now, when I say "thoughts," it could be something like a certain tradition we follow to the letter, even though it doesn't make sense for our lives, and we likely don't even enjoy the process.

So why do we cling to such things?

Memories are funny things! In some ways, they offer us the perception of continuity; of connection to moments in our lives that felt happy and welcoming.

Maybe we have good reasons to keep re-enacting part of the past... or do we?

Perhaps the most burdensome things we carry around are in the form of "past due dreams."

What I mean is, sometimes we have dreams that are pretty much "evergreen," perhaps like "One day I will take up painting!"

But some dreams have "expiration dates," and yet we may keep holding onto them. Others might actually be someone else's dreams we agreed to be part of, and still we hold onto that sense of "someday I MUST"... in extreme cases, those "musts" are being held in service of people who are no longer even IN our lives!"

Don't get me wrong here, if it sounds like I'm being a bit harsh here! I'm actually a very sentimental and nostalgic person. But I am also very aware that I only have so much "room" in my consciousness...

The metaphor I sometimes conjure up is that of a garage.

And then the visualization that there is so much "stuff," much of it not even mine, in my "garage" that there's actually no room for my car!

As I mentioned, this can sometimes be very subtle, to the point where it's almost invisible. And yet? It tends to weigh us down, in ways we can't quite pinpoint.

But what I DO know — for experience — is that whenever I let go of something "obsolete" I actually feel lighter and more capable of managing life!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!

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Created at 2024-02-12 01:17 PST
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