The art of letting go

Once there was a small bird that had a habit of collecting small pebbles. These grits reminded her of events associated with joys or sorrows in her life. She would carry the stones wherever she went and would often delve in memories.

As the pile of pebbles became heavier she decided to settle down with them in one place. She protected the stones at all costs. Sometime later, the bird eventually died of thirst and hunger as she refused to move anywhere else without her stones. 

In the end all that remained was a pit full of shingles that reminded others of the little bird for a while. Just as a tree never holds onto its leaves, flowers, fruits, or a river never stores its own water, ‘letting go’ is important if we need to move on.

To accept the present, we need to let go of the past which holds us back. To quote Daphne Rose Kingma, “Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.”

After the loss of my pet a few months back, I was shattered and felt that a big part of me died along with him. I found it very hard to move on. Life had almost come to a standstill as everyday chores revolved around his requirements.

The period of grief and coming to terms with reality posed a challenge. Even though with time I think I’ve come to terms with it, learning to live after the loss of a loved one is tough.

The emptiness and memories often keep switching as the restless mind searches some solace. ‘Little by little we let go of the loss but never of love...like scattered seeds memories bloom forever.’

Letting go of people or emotions can sometimes pose a challenge.  Singer Mariah Carrey penned and sang the song, The art of letting go to overcome a bitter relationship which was pulling her down. The song not only helped her but continues to inspire others to look ahead in life instead of being pulled down.

In the words of Amit Ray, “If you want to fly in the sky, you need to leave the earth. If you want to move forward, you need to let go of things that drag you down”.