"I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."
from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
It’s a cliché, and yet fall leaves do teach us something about letting go. We can’t help but notice them. We’re captivated by their colorful and fleeting beauty. There’s a funny Jim Gaffigan bit that pokes fun at our preoccupation with fall foliage. I laugh. And yet I’ll forever be obsessed by autumn’s bright show.
Back to the metaphor, the leaves must let go. And not just the leaves. Much of the flora and fauna on our planet has to “let go” and follow the cycle of the seasons. On the other hand, we humans seem conditioned, prepared, and wired to hold on. Our ancestors had to follow the rhythms of nature and let go in ways that we don’t. Shorter days and colder temperatures meant a change in activities and routines. We now have central heating, electricity, plumbing, telephones, computers, cars, washers and dryers, and many other modern conveniences. All good stuff that I appreciate! However, these conveniences allow us to defy nature in ways that mean we can be forever “on.” Part of letting go is resisting the idea of “keeping the lights burning” - of always being connected electronically, of constant productivity, of keeping up with everything all the time.
My husband and I are decluttering and rearranging some areas in our home, which is also a lot about letting go. We’re mostly empty nesters at this point. We’ve accumulated a lot of stuff in the 28 years we’ve lived in our house. It’s time to let go of some of that stuff. It’s time to release what’s no longer needed.
There are various quotes about letting go of the old to make room for the new. I firmly believe that’s true. It’s not just things, of course, that we need to release. We may need to let go of attitudes, beliefs, environments, grudges, habits, ideas, opinions, routines, relationships, or traditions.
Perhaps things did not turn out the way we thought they would. So we need to release the idea of what could or should have been to make room for the beauty of what is and the possibility of what still may be.
Perhaps a habit has become harmful or unhealthy. Perhaps a grudge is damaging a relationship. Perhaps a belief we once held firmly no longer holds importance for us. Perhaps an opinion has changed as we’ve learned more. Perhaps a tradition no longer holds meaning. In all these cases, letting go - releasing - can open us up to something new. It may be just what we need.
***
as we savor these last days of October
& the last bursts of yellow, orange, and red
as we transition into November
and into colder, shorter days ahead
may we think about what no longer serves
may we release
may we consider that every ending
makes room for a possible new beginning
and may we keep letting go
again and again and again
***
In this moment, I’m releasing these words. I’m letting them go without revising them endlessly and worrying about them too much.
Thanks for reading.
Gratefully,
Mary
Profound words for me today. Yesterday I attended a Dios de los Muertos celebration at Villa Terrace. A woman dressed as a catrina did a brief talk on the history of the day and of catrinas. She talked about the ancestors celebrating death as part of the life cycle, not something to be feared, but welcomed as summer turns to fall and winter turns to spring. Just a natural step in letting go. (And the catrinas represent all being equal in death, despite our social position, wealth, or education. Very much a sense of equality in the afterlife.).
I have very much to let go of. Both in the material sense of needing to purge my possessions of memories and detritus (as one of your commenters so aptly noted). Letting go of the physical representations of my life.
And of the spiritual/emotional as today my brother’s palliative care nurse told him the time has come to make a decision about hospice care. He is not eating or drinking, apparently signs of late stage Parkinson’s. So another letting go.
Thank you so much for your words today, Mary. They are what I needed to hear and will give me pause for reflection as I approach my letting gos.
Ha! We are in sync. Currently in a frenzy of decluttering, reorganizing and letting go. I was thinking that I felt that I was "nesting." People talk often of nesting in preparation for a baby. In reality, I am reverse nesting. I am sifting through 27 years of memories and detirtus. For me, it has been a long awaited shedding. Something I meant to do 5 years ago. It has been so freeing to finally begin clear and reduce all the excess.
Also, I have been doing a lot of driving to Greendale and Muskego. I love that my frequent drives are no longer freeway drives. I have so been enjoying the full display of colors the fall has to offer. This weekend has been picture perfect for all the colors. AH...