Let it Go…memories.
A memory I’d rather forget.
Who wants to think on that? They need to stay crumpled in a compact ball in the dark recesses of our innards.
Hmm.
Eeny, meany, miney, moe.
The time I threw away my second semester grades before my parents saw them? Yes. In the days before online access it was possible to destroy a report card and have all evidence of your time not spent in class destroyed. Until your father called the university and they shipped him another copy.
I’m thinking of things that I would never post on this blog. Actions as a parent. Actions to another. The times when I did not act and knew I needed to.
Pooh. This is hard.
Honestly, even with memories I choose to not write about, I wouldn’t erase them from my data base.
From mistakes – those humungous and teensy — I learned something. Most of all, I learned I never want to repeat that feeling of disappointing others or myself again.
. . . I’m still thinking, on this.
Every time something comes to mind – some moment from a past life or just yesterday — I can’t say I’d want to forget the pain.
In most cases I’ve moved past the discomfort and in others, I’m in the process of figuring out how to — in the words of the Mega star frozen princess — let it go.
But in all cases, I am at peace with the person who stands on the other side. Happier with the me who walked through the infernos coming to mind –whether a catastrophe by the hand of another or self-inflicted.
Thoughts?
And in case you missed this by Will Ferrell click on the link. Seems the powers that be won’t let the masses embed this clip.
(Watch till the last. It’s my favorite part.) Will Ferrell —–>>>> Let it go.
Linking up with the fun Finish the Sentence Friday crowd . . . The memory that haunts me is…”
Oh yes! I am with you. Absolutely. Let it go. As much as we can. Still cringe over that time I ripped up my university paper that was marked as a D only to have the prof approach me and say “I think I was too critical. Submit it again and I’ll have another look.” Ouch.
But like you I learned so much from my mistakes. And embrace the fact that I truly didn’t want to disappoint that person – be it the prof, my parents, my kids …. – ever again. Life is for learning. And living.
What a story — ripping up your paper. When I tell my children examples of my mistakes — I have to shake my head inside my brain. I know that the only way we truly learn things is often the hard way. They’ll have to try things on their own and fail.
I want to throw sparkles in life too! All our struggles and troubles really shape who we are, don’t they? Not fun to go through, but better on he other side for sure.
I agree Katy. We just need keep singing and singing — and then comes the moment we can throw a pocketful of glitter in the air.
Oh, yes, I’m with you – I wouldn’t erase a single thing from my database. I really believe that every thing we experience brings us to the place and person we are right now. To change what has happened before is to change who we are. Sure, some things hurt or embarrass us and we’ve all done things we are not proud of, but we learn and we grow from them. Sometimes we learn how not to be. We can accept what has happened, then as you say, let it go to settle in its proper place in our history. Great thoughts.
Learning can be painful for many reasons. Knowing we emotionally hurt someone, or someone hurt us. But it’s all a part of the human condition, I guess. G
Well said, Katy.
Infact these just polish us like a diamond and in the end we land up shining brighter than we were few years back…A tough journey, but if we let go…beneficial to us 🙂
xoxo
I tried to erase a D from my 7th grade report card, and the eraser went through the thin paper to the sticker on the back, turning it black! I’d changed one before and thought I’d be okay with it. Today, I’m not sure my parents ever saw that particular report card (but probably just blocked the memory). Thanks so much for linking up with finish the sentence!! And yeah. Let it go. Here’s to cringing at things we cannot change and poof… letting them go!
You are too clever. Maybe I should have used White Out rather than thrown them away?
Polishing. Smoothing out the rough spots. I loved that analogy.
Jamie, I love this one!! I remember after my middle child was born (and those post-partum hormones were making me crazier than usual) standing in the front yard and screaming at my husband like a lunatic. How totally trashy! Afterwards, he said calmly, “You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.” I have since done a better job trying not to let my temper come out in my words. I hate that I was ugly to him, and that I did it un such a way that was emasculating, but it has served as a great reminder since.
I understand completely. When I was younger things/memories used to upset me so — now I realize all the mistakes and resulting consequences built on each other. Hopefully, I’m a better mother and wife than I was 10 or even five years ago.
“Success in life is the result of good judgment. Good judgment is usually the result of experience. Experience is usually the result of bad judgement.” — Tony Robbins
That’s very true. And hard to remember when it comes to your children. No matter a parent’s counsel most things have to be learned the hard way – by making choices and learning from the consequences.
I agree that the experiences in our life shape how we feel and experience the world. I’m a big proponent of letting go of the emotional trauma associated with negative experiences, and trying to learn from those negative experiences. So I’m right there with you!
I’m with you – no memories that truly haunt me, and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to say that and mean it. Small regrets, yes. But I try really hart to let it go too.
Oh, so many, many things to let go … or set on fire, or something like that 😉
Fire works.
Some memories are hard to let go, no matter how hard you try, but I try to move forward with them knowing they shape who I am today.
I did the same thing with my first semester Junior year grades from college. Yes, back in the day! It is hard to let go (of some things). I remember when my daughter was nineteen and she was trying to forget a boy she really loved. She sat on our driveway around midnight and set fire to a tee shirt of his she wore almost non-stop. I should use this sometime.
Oh goodness. I had a boyfriend in college who broke up with me the semester before he graduated. I wish had set fire to a shirt of his. On second thought, probably better I didn’t because I was so crazy at the time I would have kept burning things — his car, his condo. So embarrassing to think on how whooped in the head I was. I guess everyone has to go through one of those relationships and learn.