The Art of Letting Go...

...that's the title of Mariah Carey's latest studio album. I found myself immediately drawn to it. Letting go, truly letting go, is one of the hardest things you will ever do. It goes directly against our nature. As humans we want to "save" and "preserve" everything. We do so in photos, diaries, recordings (I wanted to say videos but I would be showing my age!). We do everything we can to hold onto a feeling or a beautiful moment in time.

Unfortunately, we also hold onto all of the bad and ugly. We ball it up tightly and prevent it from ever seeing the light of day. We let it out oh so carefully and in "safe" doses so it doesn't consume us. Like when we cry ourselves to sleep at night or silently weep in the shower. Then we coil the grief tightly within us and continue on, stop and repeat.

I once asked my therapist what I was supposed to do with all of the grief and sadness. I told her that I had run out of places to put it. My soul was literally overflowing. She cocked her head to one side and looked at me strangely. Then she said, "You're not supposed to put it anywhere. You're supposed to let it go."

 

WOW

That's it. "You're supposed to let it go". So I thought and I thought and I came to the conclusion that while the answer was simple, it was far from easy. If more people could just "let it go" this would be a much happier, healthier, safer world. So, when I heard the title of Ms. Carey's album I knew immediately that she had to be on to something. Something big.

Letting go is an art that must be practiced. It takes time, patience, and perseverance.

So, this week I reached an impasse with the guy I'm "not" dating. Things couldn't stay the way they were forever. Eventually, one of us would meet someone and the other party would be kicked to the curb. He loved me in his way but wasn't ready to commit. There was too much hurt that he hadn't let go. I loved him in my way but could never really trust him. There was too much hurt that I hadn't let go.

So, I let him go...

And here's the thing; letting go doesn't feel good. It hurts like hell. So, don't walk around thinking you did something wrong because you're in pain. But maybe in letting go, you'll make room for something bigger and better. Maybe you didn't even know to ask for more because you were blinded by what was in front of you blocking your view.

Today's a great day to practice the art of letting go.

Gigi xo