Letting go… they’re just two little words…
It’s funny, but the words “let go” come up all the time when you’re a parent or hope to be one someday…
“Let go and you’ll get pregnant—I guarantee it.”
“Let go—if it happens, it’s for a reason.”
“Let go, and one day you’ll give birth.”
“Let go, and your baby will sleep through the night.”
“Let go—stress isn’t good for you.”
“Let go—he’ll be potty-trained when he’s ready.”
“Let it go—one day your teenager will realize everything you do for him.”
“Let it go—your mother-in-law isn’t saying that to be mean.”
“Let go, and life will give you what you deserve.”
Is letting go really that simple? Here’s my answer to that question: NO…
It’s hard to let go when a situation matters so much to you that you think about it day and night… it even invades your dreams.
Try letting go when almost all your friends have big baby bellies or newborns in their arms, or when you’ve had to say goodbye five times to a tiny being the size of a pea that used to be nestled deep inside your belly. Or when you’ve wiped up ten pee accidents on the couch… Trying to let go is like brushing your teeth with chocolate… it’s just really hard.
I’d love so much to be the kind of person for whom letting go is as simple as saying it… I’d love so much to be the kind of person for whom life is stress-free and fearless… I’d love so much to be the kind of person who handles their emotions well and takes it easy. But life isn’t like that. Life is hard, and you have to take it one day at a time. You have to live in the moment and stop thinking about the worst-case scenario… Maybe that’s what letting go means for some people, but for me, it’s not. Letting go means no longer having any hope or desire for what you’ve always wanted.
So no, I won’t let go… I’ll keep hoping, loving, laughing, and having fun while living one day at a time, and when someone tells me to “let go,” I’ll reply, “Those are just two little words that are easy to say…”
No hard feelings to all those who’ve told me to let go.