Keep vs. Cast Off

When you are coming through your transition, when you know where you want to go and are tangibly closer, when you feel you are almost near enough to touch it, you will realize some things about your things:

  1. There are things you need that you don’t have for this new version of your life. These are Category 1 Things.
  2. There are things you have that you don’t need for this new version of your life. These are Category 2 Things.
  3. You are not entirely clear on which of your things fit in Category 1 or Category 2.

I don’t know why this is, but I’ve experienced it enough to know that some decisions are better made after you’ve gotten through your transition.

It’s like when you move from Minnesota to Memphis—you are certain you will no longer need that puffy down coat, but what about those leather boots?

I had a beautiful black wool Pendleton dress that I had worn to work only once—it didn’t fit right in the chest and I had never had it altered. After I left my job, I kept it in my closet for a year—thinking maybe I could wear it to a funeral.

Eventually, I  concluded I had two other black dresses to wear to funerals. It was time to let the Pendelton go, even though it cost me more than any other dress, except the one I wore to my first wedding. I took it to a shop for women who need clothing for work.

The shop turned me away. “We just don’t have a need for those anymore.” She redirected me to a resale shop that might take it—someone might want the fabric.

The woman at the resale shop looked at the dress, ran her fingers over the fabric, said, “this is beautiful,” and offered me three dollars. I looked at the dress, felt a strange mix of sadness and nostalgia, and accepted the offer.

When you make a transition, you will need to let some things go, maybe some things that cost you dearly.

Let them go.

They no longer serve you. They will only weigh you down.

Let them go.


Leda

Here’s the second-to-last mini podcast about Leda, about the day I went to the Greyhound kennels to find a dog.


Chewing the Cud of Good

Even though I’m always a little sad to see the Hydrangeas bring their summertime show to a close, I know that fall is coming. I am thankful that no matter what happens in the world, the earth keeps spinning around the sun. There will be fall, and winter, and spring, and another summer.

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