“Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go, but rather learning to start over.”
~ Nicole Soban.
Interesting, that concept. Pondered it quite a bit the past several weeks ~ especially the realization of juxtapositioning things, thoughts, ideas into a potentially different form or format. Seeing and feeling different contrasts. Interesting indeed!
When I sent out the ‘schedule of openings’ to folks this past week, I wrote: Am actually enjoying the process of renewing my acquaintance with items “in hibernation” for the past many years. Some things I’ve laughed at ~ and wondered “why did I keep this?” Others have brought smiles ~ and quite a few were “glitter for my Spirit” as I found treasures I’d missed having around me. My ‘me.’
In my teachings, Letting Go is releasing. Not just ‘things’. More importantly, it’s the emotional attachment to many of those items: what they represent(ed), memories, history, a stamp-of-ownership or of belonging. Many, many emotions. Many many memories ~ of what was ~ of potential ~ of what could have been or could maybe still be.
‘Starting over’ is often thought of as a clean-slate. Yes …. that’s one way. Another is with realigning the thoughts and ‘things,’ which allows for a reboot.(Or in one of my favorite scenes in City Slickers: a “do over.”) It’s not really an actual do-over for me, it is more of a “see-over.” Seeing some thing (item) that has been placed in one design with the thoughts-at-the-time, and having moved it to a new environment, seeing it for and ‘of’ itself, thus discovering a different beauty, a different use, a different placement. Anew. Renew.
In doing so, I’ve opened myself to thinking differently too. Creative. More ‘open at the top.’ Playful. Inventive. Curious (and curiouser). Even with that, there are moments of realizing (and – sigh –acknowledging) what once was, is no longer in this version of my Now me. Learning to let go, at that point. (And what’s that old line about “everything I’ve let go of has claw marks on it!” Ha!)
Grieve (not bemoan) the releasing. Remembering ~ cherishing the thoughts ~ thanking the ‘it’ ~ (thought and item) ~ and then, me being me, thinking about what new adventure awaits the ‘it;’ what new person may come across a specific let-go item that’s exactly what they’ve been looking for. (Or ‘it’ speaks to them the way ‘it’ spoke to me long ago.) The item is “starting over” too. (How cool is that!)
So I guess that a portion of this ‘starting over’ is a form of starting-anew; yet the vast majority of it is staying in alignment with my truth, and sometimes realigning myself, holding high the thoughts, values, and yes, even things, that matter to me. Honoring that. And…..
…being open to taking part in what unfolds.
Stay tuned!