Let Go Lightly

“Hold on tightly, let go lightly.”

There’s a funny story that a dear friend of mine used to share about me; or rather about something that happened during my junior year of high school. A bunch of us had gone together to see some kind of musical or show in the school’s auditorium. I was seated next to a boy that I’d dated for about 5 months but who had broken up with me at the start of the new school year.

“Every time I looked over,” my friend chuckled, “Andrea would be leaning a little bit toward Samuel*... and Samuel would be leaning a little bit further away from Andrea.”

My friend then held up his hands in parallel to show each of his palms starting to lean gradually to the left in unison, as a visual explanation.

When he recounted this story to our friends we all laughed hysterically - me included - but deep down I felt embarrassment and shame. I knew my friend’s story was true. I was smart enough to recognize that I was obviously holding on to a past relationship that didn’t want to be held!

Everyone around me could see that it was way past time for me to let go. I could see it too! I just didn’t know how.

Learning how to let go lightly is a skill you can develop over time and it begins with your thoughts.