Who said letting go was easy? It is perhaps one of the most complex decisions we have to face when life puts us in situations we don’t want to accept.
When we can let go, we stop feeling guilt for past decisions, regret for those decisions we never made, and uncertainty about the decisions we will have to make in the future.
It is here when I ask myself if I have done well the things God chose me to do:
Today, after some unfinished battles, a declaration of independence, and mixed feelings, I can say, with certainty, that letting go frees us.
- Daughter: I always tried to give my best
- Sister: a partner in crime
- Student: challenge driven
- Professional: excellence as a goal
- Friend: NO to the gossip girl, YES to a shoulder to cry on and an ear always willing to listen, with a voice ready to spread love and trust in every word.
- Wife: ups and downs
- Daughter-in-law: unconditional and loving support
- Mother: certified life coach specializing in youth empowerment to develop adults with solid self-esteem, ready to take a step towards responsible independence.
Undoubtedly, my role as a mother is the one to which I have dedicated the most effort. I don’t know if it is good or bad to put all my energies and make huge sacrifices if you can call those acts that are the product of love to form better adults for the future, but I think it has been worth it. More than a sacrifice, I could say that it has been a pleasure to experience the satisfaction of a fulfilled duty.
A long time ago, a therapist I remember with special gratitude told me, “Growing up hurts” So much truth in those words!
When I see my boys fly away with total confidence, I know that they have grown up and that even though I have strived to give them the best tools to face the world, they will have moments of pain that will, for sure, strengthen them.
There comes that moment when they expect me to stop treating them like children and start seeing them as adults. It includes an inevitable emotional detachment because, if we have done well as parents, our children will need us much less each day.
Suddenly, everyone goes their separate ways, and noticing that soon the house will be an empty nest, the time capsule takes me back to my teenage years, and that’s when I realize and say:
Mom, I’m sorry for causing you distress when I was late returning home, sorry for worrying you when I decided without thinking, sorry for being a rebel when you only wanted to protect me, and sorry for ignoring your advice. I could go on listing countless things I overlooked, exposing myself to the dangers of life for the sweet taste of being finally a grown-up.
Let it go? That is why we can consider it as art. How hard it is to let go. It takes lots of training and skills not to die while trying.
Written by Layla Garrido
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Great collection
Thank you!