As I grow older, I find it is easier to let go of things, negative feelings, and even some responsibilities.  I have found, for myself, that hanging on to stuff I don’t need is no longer hard for me to give away.  In fact, I have come to relish each time I drive up to a Goodwill or other Thrift Store and drop off bags and boxes of things I used to hang on to, “just in case I might need it in the future.”

After not needing or using something for years, it’s time to think about purging those things from your life.  It is freeing oneself of burdens you were maybe not even aware of until you see the clutter disappear around you. I can’t even believe how good it makes me feel to have less stuff around me.  It is a burden I do not need or want to have.

I remember the realization when I felt my son had become an adult who didn’t need me to take care of things for him anymore.  At first, I felt sad.  And then, I became proud of him and the ability he had to not need me for certain things anymore.  He and I still wanted to be emotionally and physically connected, but that was voluntary and special.  I had learned to let him go.

Through the years, small commitments that may have seemed to be short-term, became expectations that others had of me because I had let that happen.  Just because I have “always” done something for or with other people, doesn’t allow others to take advantage of me.  I was the one who allowed that to happen.  Once I realized the weight of their expectations and mine, I was finally ready to let go of them.  It was so freeing!  The elation I felt was exhilarating!  It helped  me to say “no” more and more, as well.

Now, as I grow a little wiser with age, I am beginning to understand what has always been important to me in a new way.  More and more I seek to have time for only the things that endure.  I cling to my faith, my family, my friends and trying to be the kind of person who cares  deeply about my fellow travellers.  If I can do that, there will be so much good to hold on to, that “letting go”  will become less necessary to me.  That is my goal for the future.  How do you feel about letting go?