Let go of your past, they say…
Don’t let the things that have happened before dictate your future.
It sounds so easy...just flip a switch...out go the lights…
No more past
No more memories
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
And yes, it’s about that surreal…
When we are transitioning
Heeding that advice
Familiarity can be replaced by fear
And uncertainty
As we create something new
No past means no frame of reference.
There is good and bad with that
(as it is with everything…)
No foundation
Even if that foundation was built on unstable pillars
It was still *something* to stand on…
Before you can let go of the past, you must find a new foundation...
A foundation within.
No one tells you how important this step is…
Without it, you might as well be flying
Through the air on a trapeze
Without a net
Foundations are important. They create stability
And therefore safety…
Yes, you can tear it all down and rebuild from the ground up
But that is often dramatic & traumatic
Not just to self, but to others around you…
Sometimes it can’t be helped
But more often it can…
Making the transitions a little easier
More mindful
Giving greater permanence
In the footholds of patience
Once you have a fresh platform
Only THEN is it time to start breaking from the past
And breaking patterns of the past…
Breaking all the old china and pottery of what once was
The chipped, cracked, mismatched patterns
The things that are no longer suitable to serve from
That no longer match the full service
Smash them into smithereens…
But be discerning with each assessment!
Some things are worth holding on to…
Some things still have value...perhaps more so
When freed from being forced to match a full set.
And these familiar pieces
Further bolster the new foundation
With the wisdom of the past…
Because the past does have things of value to hold on to
But knowing how to determine what’s worth saving
Is a Black Art…
A subjective art…
(just as art always is…)
We all are artists
We all are creating art
In every brushstroke and color choice of our lives…
So we have our foundation…
Our valuable pieces from the past…
And then we demolish the rest!
This is how we let go of the past with intention.
This is how we fly with a net.
This is how we can whole-heartedly and unflinchingly demolish what no longer serves us.
Occasionally
In the dust
A glimmer of something...a sliver of the past...catches our eye
It is no longer what it once was
But now, no longer defined the same
It takes new life
The parts that resonate
Freed from the parts that stifled it’s beauty...
These parts can be used too
Again, giving familiarity to the foundation
Helping create stability...
As we gather other, newer pieces
As the mosaic of old and new takes shape,
Something unique is created
And in it we see
And honor
Parts of our past
There will always be a place for
What Once Was
In the brushstrokes, and in
What Is Today
As well as in the vision of
What Will Be
Everything serves a purpose
In the mosaics of our lives
Opmerkingen