Letting Go...

Lansy tagged me to write an article about letting go. I don't know if I'm doing this right but here's an article I wrote for this meme.

Last weekend I was cleaning our upstairs bedroom, it was really hot and humid and I almost gave up the task because the heat is making me lazy. But I was determined to do it that day because I have been putting it off for quite some time now. I cannot put off any longer, the room is practically begging to be cleaned.

While I was rummaging through our things, I was surprised to realize how much junk we have accumulated over the years. I was torn between throwing them out, keeping them or giving it away. I was in a dilemma. Each item brings back memories and I was torn between common sense and the sentimental values attached to these items. Should I let go of the past or not?

My mind tells me that I have survived some years without realizing they were there at all, hiding under the other piles of things, waiting for someone to rediscover them. So what difference does it make if I threw it away?

Those junks are like the excess baggage we carry in our lives - fears, the past, old hang-ups that we can't seem to part with. Things and feelings that we hold on hoping that the people who were part of that past will not leave us. Little do we know that we don't totally leave people or feelings behind, we take a part of them with us and we also leave a part of ourselves behind.

Deciding that life is worth moving forward and shedding the past to make way for the future is something we all do everyday. Having the courage to actually grab the chance and do it is somethingelse. “Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.”

Throwing it away seemed a good idea. So with a heavy heart I put letters, papers, items of my past in a trash bag and never looked back. I decided to still keep some, those that were still usable. And after I did that, as if by magic, our room was transformed. Suddenly there were more spaces to move things around, the kids play area looked very nice indeed.

I'm beggining to like this letting go thing. “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou