Holding On and Letting Go
You know that moment when you figuratively let go of the hand you’ve been clinging to, hoping the person (or place, or thing) would love you the same way you’ve been loving them? Isn’t it relieving to finally let go?
Everyone else can suggest you move on (and goodness knows they WILL!), offer encouraging words; even threaten, but at the end of the day – only YOU can decide to cut the cord and walk away.
Many times, the unseen is what frightens us most. Once we see the plan or idea, even if it is a bit daunting, we can manage to follow the path set before us. Think back to when you were a kid; After the lights were turned off and you were in bed, in the dark, you would “See” things – monsters, scary shadows, etc. Once the lights were flipped on though, all the scary monsters faded away, and you could see they were never real.
This is true in life. Having ideas/thoughts/offers, are scary; we think it sounds good, but moving across the country??? Taking a major pay CUT??? Deciding to move an ailing parent into a nursing home?? Letting your child go out on that first date, with a guy/girl you KNOW isn’t good enough?? We immediately start imagining what could go wrong, the car breaking down in the middle of Kansas, not being able to pay the light bill because now you don’t make as much money as before, etc. It’s all the unknowns that often “talk” us into not taking that step of faith. Once we’re on the other side of decisions/circumstances/situations/relationships we see how well we turned out, but while going through it, we let ourselves get talked into believing we will somehow fail.
A song recently played for me, caused me to think back on past situations and circumstances in my own life; The boy in high school who decided I wasn’t who he wanted, the jobs that didn’t work out, the long-term relationship I felt sure would result in marriage that ended abruptly, losing my father to cancer…..The fact of the matter is, ALL situations in life – those happy and those sad, have one thing in common; They are only as strong as we allow them to be. That’s not to say we won’t weather storms; we won’t hurt, cry, feel rejected. However, you can decide every day to let situations handle YOU, or YOU handle your situations.
Stand strong and don’t give up. Fight back. Show strength even when you think it’s gone. Live each day as if it is your last. LOVE people and TELL them. Be supportive. Decide you are going to give it all you’ve got. Most of all, embrace the life that is a balance of holding on, and letting go.
