Cut It and Let Go

What is the first thing that comes to mind?

This line from Dianne’s piece, “I Am the Watcher and the Shadow” really jumped off the screen at me, “…the shapes we made by cutting away, not adding on”. (pop on over to Dianne’s page and give the whole insightful piece a read)

I Am the Watcher and the Shadow🖤

Most of us spend our lives adding things on. Habits, trends, the ‘right’ clothes, buzz words, makeup, volunteer work, hairstyle, the ‘right’ car, the model home in the perfect neighborhood. We say the right things, curate appropriate friends, and adopt acceptable hobbies all in an effort to fit in and find our niche. What if, like Dianne said, “our truest outlines appear when we stop trying to be seen in full color”?

What if we cut away society’s trappings and discovered who we are underneath?

- Stop restricting your amusement to a polite chuckle and find your belly laugh once again

- Buy that cozy cottage at the end of a dead end street, paint it your favorite shade of purple, and grow wildflowers instead of the carbon copy construction with the perfectly manicured lawn

- Drop the current buzz words and use words or phrases you adore even if they are archaic and let them become your signature responses

- Let go of the trendy hobbies and volunteer opportunities and go back to the ones that fill your soul

- Cultivate ‘real’ friendships, not just ones that look acceptable to others

Pause for a moment to schedule a short date with yourself. When it arrives, have your calendar, a notebook, and your favorite warm beverage at hand. (Coffee is always a miracle worker, tea is amazing, and hot chocolate can cure almost anything) Curl up in a cozy place to take a good, hard, honest look at what fills your current life.

- What exhausts you just by thinking about it?

- What’s on your calendar that brings a sense of dread?

- What habits have you developed because ‘they’ said you should? (and who are ‘they’ anyway?)

- What are you holding onto that has long since exhausted its purpose in your life?

Now, take a moment to look over your list.

- What can you drop immediately?

- What needs ‘notice’ before you stop?

- What can fall by the wayside organically?

Make a plan for cutting away what no longer serves you. Just because something has value or is a ‘good cause’ doesn’t mean it’s right for you, right now.