Life is not easy if you are doing it right. We are going to have heartbreaks, failures, successes, pleasure, joy, fear, uncertainty, and a million other emotions. When you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you feel and experience all that life has to offer.
I am someone that believes in letting go of things that I can’t control — it keeps my stress low, helps me be present at the moment and focus my energy on what I can control. But when it comes to letting go of people, I really struggle. When I fall in love with someone, whether it’s platonic or romantic, I do it with all that I am. Throughout my life, friendships have molded me into the woman I am today, relationships have taught me what I do and don’t want in a partner, mentors have shaped my future, and parents have shown me a life I don’t want. Those collective experiences have been a part of my journey, my growth, and are pieces to the puzzle of who I am.
When someone has made a lasting impression on you, how do you let them go? I’ve spent many nights torn on this, as I’ve spent the past year trying to let go of someone who has had a profound impact on me. I could rationally think through why I needed to let this person go from every angle possible, but it still never felt right. How do I let go of someone who is unforgettable, irreplaceable, and relentlessly ingrained in my mind? Someone that cracked open a part of me that I had kept closed out of fear and insecurities. The answer is, you don’t. And that’s okay.
We don’t completely let go of those who have made an impact on our lives. We don’t let go of the memories, the growth, and everything they gave to us in the form of a life lesson or enlightenment. We do have to let go of the hurt, the shame, the anger, and the future we dreamed of with that person. We have to grieve over the end of the relationship, wish them well and move forward to the next life adventure. Their footprints on our heart designate a chapter in our story, a lesson learned. Their impact is forever entangled with who we are, and that’s okay. We don’t completely let go of those that have made an impact on us. But never forget, we are also a lingering memory, an impact, a footprint on someone else’s heart as well.
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