Prompt #145 – Letting Go

Some people believe holding on and hanging in there

are signs of great strength.

However, there are times when it takes much more strength

 to know when to let go and then do it.

— Ann Landers

In Prompt #144, we wrote about forgiveness and I mentioned the process of “letting go.” In any context, letting go is can be a painful (but sometimes necessary) part of life.  On the flip side, letting go can free us in much the same way that forgiving does. Have there been times in your life when you let something go and felt better for it?

In many ways, the past informs the present, but letting go is about much more than the past. Importantly, letting go is about freeing ourselves from fears, from impractical expectations, from uncertainties about ourselves, and it’s about affirming our value in the world.

This week, write a poem about a time that you let go.

Things to Think About before Writing:

1. Is there a dream you’ve let go?
2. Is there a person or group of people you’ve let go? Have you ever ended a relationship that wasn’t working? Have you ever deliberately said “good-bye” to someone or something and felt better (or worse) for having done so?
3. Has there been a job you had to let go?
4. Have you ever let go of any personality traits, ways of thinking, old habits?
5. Has there ever been a hurt or an anger that you let go?
6. Has there ever been something that you couldn’t let go?
7. Is there something (or someone) in your life right now that you’ve thought about letting go?

Example:

"Letting Go of Our Anger, Giving Forgiveness" by Raymond A. Foss

Note: An alternative prompt for this week might be to look at the photo at the top and to write a "letting go poem" based on what the photo suggests to you.