Do you need to let go of something?

I enjoy being outside, I especially love tromping through the woods this time of year. The trees are turning colors and the leaves are falling gently to the ground. The leaves on the ground can quiet your steps or make that satisfying crunch when you walk through them.

What has me contemplating leaves today? It’s the effortless way that the leaves fall. They are simply let go. The tree doesn’t fight to keep them, or count them, or worry about them falling. They simply fall because it’s time. That’s it. They fall because it’s time to let go.

Do you ever find yourself holding on to something (or someone) for too long? I know I have. Everything keeps moving and the things I am holding onto that I should let go are only slowing me down, getting in my way. We all tell ourselves stories about how the events are going or how they happened, are those stories true?

When I took yoga class, the instructor always told us to notice the thoughts that pass through our minds, but to let them pass and focus back on our breath. That’s great advice. Not all the thoughts in my head are helpful or even true. When I stop to notice them, but not necessarily act upon them, I can give myself space to say ‘hold up, that’s not what’s going on, that’s fear/anxiety/other emotion talking’.

We weren’t created to stew in all these emotions. We are created to live in joy and peace. Life presents us with challenges, and it’s not always joyful or peaceful, but what I can do is choose a new thought that is more positive so I can move from a negative place to a place closer to peace.

What do you need to let go of? Today, I am letting go of stories from my past that are no longer true. My challenge to you is when the thought or the story comes to mind, challenge it and see if it’s really true, if it’s not, let it fall gently.