Thoughts from the Thinking

Probably the most difficult thing to do in adolescence and young adulthood (if not in ones entire life) is letting go of something or someone you have become attached to. Even if there is no real attachment and it is all in a person’s own mind, it is a difficult task. Like dropping addictions, letting go of someone with whom one have emotional attachment incurs withdrawal and a great amount of pain. In the end, however, it has great benefits and serves as an experience of growth if done well and “in time.”

Some people are more susceptible to addictions and emotional attachments. To these people, such as myself at times especially when I was younger, the task of letting go seems insurmountable and it is tempting to just give up on letting go and wallow in one’s own guilt and self pity. This is a great temptation only because withdrawal and the pain of cutting someone off seems too much for a person to bear. The human mind is quite powerful and can create a world of dreams and infatuations despite a history of falling off trees and getting hurt.

One learns to cope with the pain of letting go but that doesn’t make it any easier. There are triggers that can reignite that flame in a person even years after letting go and it is hard to ignore that. There is always a fear or doubt that you are losing something you shouldn’t let go. And, of course, there is the problem of losing a friend. No one wants to lose someone they are close to but sometimes things get complicated and you have to let go for a while so that things clear up. Give a friend time to clear their head and you will stay friends.

I wish I had some closing statement, but I don’t. I’m still deciding if I should let go, or try to climb that tree one more time.