This is the season of decluttering, of asking ourselves, “What can I let go of?” It’s the time to adopt the practice of removing one item from your possessions for every item you bring in. Full disclosure, though. It’s easier to say than to do.
What holds true for both physical and emotional is this–let go of whatever doesn’t make your life better, whatever, as Marie Condo said, doesn’t bring you joy, and whatever you have more than one of. Let go of whatever brings you pain or sorrow, for sure. Sometimes, that means people.
I suppose we could refer to this process as cleaning up your life.
One year ago, I let go of music lessons because every week I ran out of time to practice well, and I was getting nowhere. I love music and would love to improve my abilities, and I loved my instructor, but I felt so much more at ease without that deadline hanging over my head.
In my life, I have let go of having a set schedule. Enduring buzzers every 50 minutes eight times a day for 33 years will do that to a person. Never having time to stop and just be in nature when you witness some beauty will do that to a person.
I have let go of other people’s expectations of me. I let go of a husband. Last year I let go of bedroom decorations, old bathrooms and 25 unnecessary pounds. I try to let go of caring about what others think, since it’s not my business.
Letting go is freeing for me and sometimes benefits others, as in the case of donating what you no longer need to others.
If I had to paint “letting go,” it would be a woman with arms and legs outstretched and various items flung off her appendages, orbiting her body, the background a universe of stars and planets. She would be smiling.
Letting go is a meditation and a reflection on what a person holds close and why. Sooner or later, we’ll all have to let go of our own existence. Count this as practice.