How Letting Go of the Past Brings Peace and Purpose to the Present

I’ve been in the process of getting ready to move and have had A LOT of stuff to go through. While going through this process I’ve learned some valuable things that I’d like to share with you as they may be of benefit to you too as you go about your life and living.

Whether moving physical locations in life or not, we’re always moving through life and needing help in navigating through issues and relationships and feelings.

So I’ve been in this house that we built 20 years ago. I’ve raised my 5 kids here. A lot of stuff has accumulated over the years.  Not only physical things but also a lot of memories and emotions have filled the walls of this house and home.

Some things have been a lot easier to get rid of.

Clothes and toys that the kids have out grown. Broken or run down furniture. Dishes, towels, and utensils that aren’t being used, and other such things that I haven’t even had to give a second thought to about getting rid of it… either donating or trashing it.

But as I’ve been going through boxes and files of old papers, letters, cards, and photos, it’s been a bit more difficult to just toss some of those things.

Writings and drawings made by the kids when they were little. Notes and letters from family and friends. Old love letters and cards from my former loving and devoted husband (now my ex-husband). Even some old drawings and papers from my childhood, teen and college years.

My first thoughts in going through some of these things were of tender memories and moments gone by. A part of me wanting to hold on to them forever. But then a cool shift occurred.

Instead of wanting to keep them, I found that I was quickly able to sort through them and easily let go of many of them.

My thoughts changed from wanting to hold on and never letting go… to why in the world have I held on to these all these years? What purpose have they served all piled up taking up space in my house? Why am I even considering taking them along to the new place? To take up more space? Space I don’t even have?

And then another thing happened that was quite amazing. As I took a few moments to look at some of these items, maybe read a few parts of the notes and papers and such, I realized something.

It completely changed the way I was looking at and feeling about these things. I realized that I used to do a lot of cool things. I used to create neat chore charts and fun family activities for my kids. I used to write some pretty profound thesis statements and have good research and arguments to back them up. I used to inspire and help a lot of friends and family who wrote me nice thank you notes for various reasons. I used to be a very loving and happy wife.

Wayne Dyer

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

As I realized those things, it hit me… if I was once like that, am I not still like that? Is not all that knowledge and skills and abilities still in me? If I could then, can’t I now?

Yes! I realized that such qualities are in ME. Not in a chart, a letter, a well written paper, a card or a photo!

Once I realized and accepted that, it was easy to let go of the items themselves because they were just physical items that really served no purpose to me now. I didn’t need a bunch of tangible items to know who I am and what I’m capable of doing and being in life.

If I had learned and done all that stuff then, well… I could learn and do all that and even more stuff now. As I let go of them, not only did it open up more space physically in my house, but it opened up more space emotionally in my heart. Space that had been cluttered by clinging to items and attachments of the past.

With all the excess gone from my physical space… my emotional and spiritual space is free and open to receive all the wonders and blessings of now as well as what is to come. Now that I don’t have so many things from my past cluttering up my mind and heart and space…I’m more at peace and able to find power and purpose in my present. I’m able to live more fully with joy and gratitude for the things which happen now. Letting go of the physical and emotional burdens of the past has allowed me to learn from them, to be grateful for them and to keep moving and growing and learning each and every day now and by so doing, create a great future.

Not having to carry the weight of the past around with you is quite a liberating feeling.

So let go of all the excess of the past you’ve been carrying, emotionally and physically. You don’t need it. You are not in a box of old letters, cards, and papers. You are not a thing of the past. You are a wise and wonderful being of NOW.

Live fully now.

Love deeply now.

Be joyful now.