This is a story to raise awareness about what no longer serves you and the joys in letting go.
For over 22 years I have been lugging around a set of beautiful china from my second marriage. It wasn't something I really wanted but as a young woman in my 30s I succumbed to well-meaning pressure from my in-law to register for it. The marriage failed and several moves later I still had the china. I even bought a formal dining room set to display the china I had only used once in my life! Some of you might be able to relate to this.
Then a few years ago I hired an organizer who taught me to only keep the things you love. And so began multiple unsuccessful attempts to sell the china and efforts to continue releasing things I no longer love or need. I recently decided to cut the price in half and had to let go of my attachment to receiving more for the china.
At first, despite initial inquiries, no serious buyer appeared and I decided to donate it to a friend who could sell it at fundraisers. Then I lost my second job and all of a sudden interest increased again. One story really stood out and that is the buyer whom I chose. A woman and her husband's home had been robbed last summer in GA. My china pattern had been theirs for years. The robbery affected her husband so much he was unable to return to work. Their home had been watched and the robbers spent 4 hours taking all the things they had worked so hard for.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, I met the wife at a nearby park and ride as she travelled to visit family and released the china into the new owner's grateful hands. Receiving $350 at a time I lost my second job was great; bringing joy to a family--priceless. I believed her when she said she would treasure this and take really good care of it for years.
I have experienced this lesson over and over as I release things that no longer make my heart sing. I let go and someone else treasures the item. What I find interesting is that it was only when I let go of the attachment to the outcome that things finally shifted into place.
I share this story to inspire you to examine your life. Where are you attached to the past? Where are you attached to things and outcomes only showing up exactly as you want them? Where are you struggling to let go? What no longer serves you? What "set of china" do you need to let go?
As I wrote this story I gained insight into its significance for my life. The china represented a formal way of life and dining that was never me. It represented a younger self who was not secure enough to say no, this is not what I want...this is not who I am.
For most of my life, I have tried to fit into the mainstream but I am done trying to fit this square peg into round holes. I am creating my life to reflect my most authentic self. In this last third of my life, I am excited to see how living more authentically plays out. It's never too late...
