October 19, 2010
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Life: An Owner’s Manual Of What You’ll Need To Know
In life we let go far more often than we reach and grasp.
Looking out the window today, leaves are rapidly falling off the trees. It reminded me of the story of The Fall of Freddie The Leaf. While that little story is rich in lessons about life, my focus was on the act of letting go. In any life it seems we are letting go far more often than we reach, grasp and achieve or attain. With the passing of years, looking back at all of the occasions where we let go of something that was dear to us can give rise to real grief. Sometimes in later life we are presented with new opportunities to claim some of the things we let go of.
In my life, I let go of a youthful love for music and art. The biggest instance of letting go that changed my life course was letting go of the priesthood.
What things have you let go of as your life has unfolded? How has that letting go changed your life? Have you enjoyed opportunities later in life to claim some of the things you had to let go of?
Comments (4)
Woo Hoo! A Leo Buscaglia fan
). I was raised with classical music, the State Fair Musicals, long discussions on philosophy, motovation to be the best you could be. But there were other things in my life during that time that frightened me and made my life unbearable. I married a ”good old boy” that promised to take me away from and protect me from all the unplesantness. True to his word, he did. He provided for me and our sons well but our backgrounds were so different it wasn’t until we gave up on trying to put our future paths together (14 yrs) that we admitted to one another that we each felt lost…we divorced and I met and married my husband now. One day my now husband went to the library and checked out some records, came home and put on Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D. I cried…It was like gentle rain on a hot summer day. So now I have the good parts back that I missed so much. I don’t want to leave this here, I want to say that my ex and I are still friends and he has got what he wanted and is immeasurably happy too. He lives in a little camper in Arizona, no electricity, no running water, he is married to a wonderful lady that was looking for the same thing. I am glad he is happy, I know I am.
@mommachatter - Thanks for sharing a deeply personal reflection. I’m glad your letting go opened the door to everything that had been special in your life! btw, I’ve never read Buscaglia.
You never seize to amaze me with your posts. Very interesting.
I consider my life nearly at the end now. Being so close to 70 which seems like someone else’s age and not mine, I’ve lost many opportunities to have bettered my life. I went so far at the age of 28 to earn my hairdressers license, which was a childhood dream of mine, only to never get to use it, having had more children and then moving to another state. I didn’t graduate from high school, another regret, but stubbornness on my part as a teen who knew it all. I married too soon (18) but was in love and knew love would suffice. But…….God has gotten us this far. We’re still married after 49 years, raised 5 beautiful, respectful and loving Christian children and 11 grandchildren. We have a roof over our head and food in the cupboards. Who could ask for more? Would I go back and undo and make changes? No, it’s been a long life, hard with many good times, but it’s almost time to go Home to be with my Father.
@Angels_By_My_Side_Always - Thank you for your heartfelt comments. Midlife sometimes brings on a sense of urgency to fulfill unfulfilled dreams, but by the time we reach our age, there is a sense of acceptance and peace that we traveled the road that was meant for us.