From the minute we are born, we are letting go.

We let go of our mother’s breast to feed ourselves.
We let go of our parent’s hands so that we can learn to walk on our own.
We let go of family and home to venture out into the world.
We let go of childhood friends as we grow.
We let go of school teachers as we forge ahead into adulthood.
We let go of experiences and college as we join the work force.

We are always letting go.

We let go of adventure to settle down with a chosen partner for life.
We let go of childhood hopes and dreams to jump into responsibility and adulthood.
We let go of our body to allow a child to grow inside.
We let go of fears and cross the valley of the shadow of death to give birth.
Then, we begin to let go of our babies and will forever be letting go from the minute they are born until we are no longer on this earth.
We let go of part of ourselves as monotony and routine becomes our way of life.
We let go of those we love when they breathe their last breath and depart this life, leaving us behind.
We let go of people we love and transform them into memories within our minds.
We let go of hopes and dreams no longer wished for, people that hurt us, and things we can not control.
We let go of feelings, thoughts, and actions that overwhelm us.

But, should we always let go? Must we always settle for the most reasonable choice?

What if instead of always letting go, we lean into the fear and accept the unknown?
What if we take a chance and choose the riskier option?
What if instead of letting go of our dreams and desires, we hold on tighter to what we want?
What if we allow ourselves to reach for what we hope for most?
What if we take a risk and speak out loud about what we feel and claim it?
What if we put ourselves in a place where we can accept the things that we have long ago forgotten?
What if we accept permission to enjoy the things we convinced ourselves that we do not deserve?
What if we believe we are worthy of the kind of love and joy that we have given to others but have denied ourselves?
What if we allow our hearts to be overwhelmed with all the feelings that used to frighten us into silent submission?
What if we lean into the forbidden, the terrifying, and the unplanned?
What if we surrender to overwhelming ecstasy as we collide with our lover’s body in heated passion?
What if we believe we are worthy of the kind of love and joy that we have given to others but have denied ourselves?

At the end of our lives, it will not be the safe choices and the comfortable security that we will remember.

It will be the limitless options we pursued and failed or succeeded at, the risks we took and won, and the memories we made in the process that will have left an imprint on our soul forever.

For the answer does not always reside in abandoning all that we desire, but can be discovered through embracing our raw humanity—so that we might truly live.

˜

Author: Stephanie Parry

Image: Daria Nepriakhina/Unsplash , Nikko/Flickr

Editors: Travis May; Emily Bartran