Letting Go – Day 16
Glass is crushed and recycled into new glass by adding some raw materials and heat. The bottles and jars that are formed are as strong and useful as before; they may take on new shapes or have different ingredients in them, but they have been refreshed by the process. We let them go as soon as they leave our home, and find ourselves buying new ones, different shapes and sizes, with new ingredients, not thinking about the old jars we used to have.
When we look at letting go in this way, it offers us an opportunity to step back from the attachment to things as they were and allow for the beauty of new experiences. Why is it so much easier to let go of objects that we feel have outlived their purpose than, say, a relationship or job? If we bring the recycling analogy to a more human level, anyone who has had a relationship in their lives that has ended, has the potential to be ‘recycled.’ Just because one situation wasn’t right doesn’t mean that person is flawed, it simply means there’s a situation out there that’s a better fit. It may be time to shift the energy and move on. The position of president is ‘recycled’ with each new person elected – the position itself may hold the same meaning, but each new electee brings to it a fresh perspective and their unique stamp.
There’s beauty to be found in things that have been let go. Found object art has its own appeal, as does the incorporation of recycled clothing into new and vibrant pieces. If we had attachments to what these things used to be, such beauty would not be possible. The same is true in our life’s experiences: let go of attachments to how, who or what someone or something is ‘supposed’ to be, and see what beauty emerges.
