Letting Go of the People Who Aren’t Meant to Stay
It’s not as easy as we want it to be
I drag a shovel and rake over to my raised garden, which is filled with tall weeds. It’s a chore I don’t enjoy, and one that is long overdue. Getting started is the hardest part, as the weeds are rooted deeply and don’t want to be pulled out of the garden. I first attempt the shovel, and then the rake, but the ground is dry and doesn’t want to give.
I put on gloves and start pulling. It’s slow going, but eventually I manage to get some weeds out. The roots are much harder to remove. The roots go down deep and are all tangled up amongst each other. As I dig, I disturb the garden inhabitants. Ants frantically scurry. Worms twist and flop. I see a spider crawling in the dirt, a small white sac of eggs attached to her belly. I realize if I don’t get the roots out, the vegetables I want to plant in the garden won’t have room to grow. I can’t bring new life in until I get the dead stuff out.
People from my past have been popping into my thoughts lately. They’re people I haven’t forgiven, although I’ve tried to varying degrees. They’re people I haven’t let go of, although I don’t know why I’m still hanging on. There are people I haven’t forgiven. And I know bitterness grows deep and get tangled up with everything else in life. But what about the sadness?
