Let it Alone

A man is rich in proportion to the number of things

which he can afford to let alone.

Thoreau

If we were more conscious of our Things, Emotions, Judgments, and Comparisons who could we be?

our Things

What do we keep? A common question when cleaning out our basement, garage or the home of the deceased. What the heck is important to me? Our task then becomes a combination of dust and sweat and a walk down memory lane. Why do we have all this stuff?

Let it Alone: Things, Emotions, Judgments, Comparison

When we decide however to not bring these items into our dwelling, when we have paused long enough to say “No, I don’t need this” or “let me think about it” we have chosen to increase the value of our belongings. Our cluttered shelves and closets, our arrangement of knick-knacks, and boxes of old photos and trophies have the ability to keep us tied to who we once were. They could even be blocking your path to whom we are on the way to becoming. Too many things slowed down the progress of the settlers travelling to new lands even back then.

If you had one trunk to take on your voyage, how would you choose? And then halfway to your destination, you were told to skinny up those choices, what would you then decide?

Once there was a man that had to leave his home quickly, his caregiver had died. This man packed his belongings in one box. Clean socks, a few pairs of jeans, a t-shirt or two. He walked out the door unencumbered. He was ready to start a new adventure. I saw it with my own eyes.

If only it were that easy, you think. Right?

Some of us have hobbies we will get to someday, items that we might need down the road and stored items of grown children. We comfort ourselves with these things. Why are we afraid to let go of them? We use these Things as an excuse to not look at our Now. Leave the accumulation of things alone.

our Emotions

I should be angrier, she said to me. I should just hate him for what he did to me. But I cannot. I cannot give him more of my energy, my life, my heart. She told me this and she could be anyone you know. She could be speaking of her father who ignored and then disowned her, she could be referring to her step-brother who was a little too touchy. She might be speaking about her neighbour who has late into the night parties or the volunteer leader who always knows best.

What she decided though was to move on. To leave it behind, she would not make it a part of her future story. Not easy right? But she got to choose. Only she was in charge of how she would feel. What she chose was to be Brave, to trust that she had been given a lesson. She would not give away her control to someone else. And hence the petty small office gossip and the loud abrasive person in line at the movie theatre did not enter her. She let it go because she’d been practising all this time.

Emotions will come and go. Release the ones that don’t heal you. (Tweet This) Leave the emotions alone.