Holding On – Habit to Break or Habit to Keep?

Another habit I’ve noticed is that I like to hold on to things. At home, this was “stuff”. As I travel, one of the biggest things I held on to was the wrist band from the first hotel I stayed in in Costa Rica – Hotel Nany. (Still missing all the wonderful people there and in Costa Rica!) This was, for me, the memory of leaping into the unknown and having a wonderful experience. The thing is, after 6 months it wasn’t in the best shape and I was considering buying a bracelet, and the wrist band seemed like it no longer fit in.

At one point, my arm was covered in wrist bands in Central America. I cut all of them off, except for the very first one from that trip (arrow pointing to it) until recently.

When I removed the wrist band it was a difficult moment. I had to take a breath. But, the truth is, I still have the memory, I still have the experience, I still have the photos, so letting go of the wrist band was not really losing anything but a symbol of the start of this amazing adventure I’m on. And, as I grow because of this adventure, it seems only normal that I will outgrow certain symbols and move on to others. (The shell representing the Santiago de Compostella being another symbol that is currently resonating with me.)

Other times I find myself holding on to those shadows I mentioned in another blog post – especially regret – depending on the circumstance. But, working on it!

I’m battling with myself to release my hold on the thought, “You should have everything figured out by now and get going!” I think some part of me is still holding back on fully accepting that I can really do whatever I want and go wherever I want – as if holding on to a self-imposed prison that I used to live in. This is important because I want to fully embrace my freedom rather than feel like I’m only part way invested.

Of course, some things are worth holding on to.  I want to hold on to my amazing friends around the world, and it’s been so wonderful to be able to message with many of them as I travel. I would love to keep my Medallion Status since I’m flying so much! 😉 I want to keep my health and my intelligence, among many other wonderful things. So, I guess this is another exercise for me to figure out what I want to let go of, and what I want to keep. Not such a bad exercise after all.