Let it go, let it go....
Years ago, I used to watch the Australian home organizer Peter Walsh on a program called "Clean Sweep". He and a team of people would come in to someone's home, help them clear out all their clutter and reorganize what was left.
Peter had the most wonderful phrase which he would almost sing to the people who were having difficulty giving up their possessions.
"Let it go, let it go."
I thought it was brilliant. Simple and to the point. Peter wasn't just talking about the objects themselves, but also the emotional attachment the owners had ascribed to each piece.
Frequently, I find myself "singing" the same phrase. However, I don't use it in dealing with all the bits and pieces that might be hidden in the closets or up in the loft, sorry, attic.
I use it when I find myself turning things over in my mind, again and again. Rethinking a decision or suddenly coming up with a comeback for something that was said. I can literally waste hours rehashing events or playing out in my thoughts how it all might have turned out differently had I said yes, instead of no.
And on and on and on.....
These days, when I find myself going down the path of "what ifs", I think of Peter Walsh's phrase and make a conscious decision to let it go - to just stop thinking about alternatives. To accept it happened the way it happened and move on.
If I'm really stuck and holding on to thoughts, I try to picture writing them all down, inserting them into a balloon, which I then release to float off into the atmosphere.
I must say, the Englishman is also quite good at helping me with recognizing the value of letting things go, when he notices that I'm starting to turn them over and over, getting myself in a muddle.
Hmmm....maybe having foreign accents makes he and Peter Walsh so wise!
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