Nov. 7th, 2003
You know that little (or large) shoebox that you have in your room. You know, the one where you keep all the notes and pictures and cards you've gotten from the random friends and exes in your life. Why do we keep these? Why do we feel the need to hold on to a picture, or a note from somebody who in all reality, we never want to speak to or see again? It occurred to me, as I thought of all this, that perhaps that little shoebox we keep is the very thing that keeps us from completely letting go. Maybe freedom from something truly comes when we are willing to let go of the memories of it. As I look forward to the future of my life (job, relationship, friends, family, and happiness), I can see no rhyme or reason to hold onto anything from my past that would threaten that.
On thursday morning, I went through the contents of my shoebox and began to throw things away. Pictures. Notes. Letters. Momentos. All of that which I do not want to carry with me into my adult life. I have bid it all farewell.
So, do I feel better? Yeah. Do I feel more freedom and less guilt? Yeah. Have I moved on? Yeah.
However, something else occurred to me. The truth is that I have been fine. The truth is that I will be fine. The truth is that for everyone in this world, letting go and moving on in life is not something accomplished by the destruction of notes and letters, or throwing away of pictures. It is accomplished in the mind, and in the heart. It happens when something comes along to remind you that the future is much brighter than the past ever was. The truth is that I need to remember that this is how everyone works, and I need to let go. I need to let go of my desire to control how everyone thinks of me. I need to let go of my insecurity that the people I want to love me the most, won't. Ultimately, I am letting go, and it feels great!
You know that little (or large) shoebox that you have in your room. You know, the one where you keep all the notes and pictures and cards you've gotten from the random friends and exes in your life. Why do we keep these? Why do we feel the need to hold on to a picture, or a note from somebody who in all reality, we never want to speak to or see again? It occurred to me, as I thought of all this, that perhaps that little shoebox we keep is the very thing that keeps us from completely letting go. Maybe freedom from something truly comes when we are willing to let go of the memories of it. As I look forward to the future of my life (job, relationship, friends, family, and happiness), I can see no rhyme or reason to hold onto anything from my past that would threaten that.
On thursday morning, I went through the contents of my shoebox and began to throw things away. Pictures. Notes. Letters. Momentos. All of that which I do not want to carry with me into my adult life. I have bid it all farewell.
So, do I feel better? Yeah. Do I feel more freedom and less guilt? Yeah. Have I moved on? Yeah.
However, something else occurred to me. The truth is that I have been fine. The truth is that I will be fine. The truth is that for everyone in this world, letting go and moving on in life is not something accomplished by the destruction of notes and letters, or throwing away of pictures. It is accomplished in the mind, and in the heart. It happens when something comes along to remind you that the future is much brighter than the past ever was. The truth is that I need to remember that this is how everyone works, and I need to let go. I need to let go of my desire to control how everyone thinks of me. I need to let go of my insecurity that the people I want to love me the most, won't. Ultimately, I am letting go, and it feels great!
posted by Rob @ 4:33 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home