The Beauty of Letting Go

I read a quote recently, most likely on Pinterest and it said, “…even nature shows us the beauty of letting things go.” It stunned me for a minute because those words were so true, and I never really ever thought about it until now. The Autumn season is a prevalent time of the year. I know it’s definitely my favorite season! The chill in the air begins to creep in (yes, even in TX), school is back in session, apples and pumpkins are now the featured fruit and the leaves. Tons of leaves everywhere and they are straight up gorgeous. I have a feeling no matter how old I get, I will always want to rake up a huge pile of leaves and dive on top of it! I’m not sure where this activity ranks on the morbid scale of wanting to play with dead orange + brown leaves, but I’m assuming it’s no big deal because pictures during the Autumn season are absolutely beautiful. So if trees go through a natural cycle of letting things go, shouldn’t we?

It has always been a struggle for me to care too much. Even in my younger years, I’ve always wanted people to be the best version of themselves. Limited time has been a definite factor to me. I’ve always known we don’t have a lot of time on this Earth so we have to make the best of it. For me, that was always the driving force to do more, push harder, and be the best individual possible. That thought process was the reason my academic records were always outstanding, and that is the reason I’m a morning person, to be more productive with the time I’ve been given. I have always wanted the people around me to be the best version of themselves. So of course, my mindset is continuously be the best Aneissa I can be! In the past, I’ve always invested a lot into the people around me, but as much as it hurts to say, some people just don’t want the best for themselves. It was tough to come to this realization, and if I'm honest, my pea brain is still trying to figure it out.

I’ve always just emotionally accumulated things that have happened to me in the past. Whether good or bad, I was an emotional hoarder, so the people that made an effort to be in my life were a big deal. In my mind, everyone was my BFF, and I was a priority to others. I held on to toxic friendships because I just knew if I held on they were going to change one day. I just knew they were going to wake up one day and magically think like me and want to be the best they could be. Of course, that didn’t happen, and I a matured I realized priorities shift and things/people you once cared about just aren’t worth holding on to. So you’ve to go to let them go with the thought process of, maybe they’ll see it for themselves one day. Keeping with the nature theme here; Tyler Perry has written a play called Madea Goes to Jail. In that play, Tyler Perry himself plays an interesting character named Madea who delivers an eye-opening monologue about letting people/things go. Yes, we quote Madea here in the Just Aneissa blog.

“Some people are like leaves on a tree. The wind blows, and they're over here. They're unstable. The season changes, they wither and die, they're gone. Some people are like branches, they will make you think they're strong, but the minute there's pressure, they will break and leave you high and dry. [But] if you find two or three people in your life that are like the roots at the bottom of that tree, you are blessed, because those are the kind of people that aren't going anywhere... When you find roots hold on to them, but the rest, let it go.”

Tyler Perry

I was trying to be a root friend to everyone I came across because I thought that’s what they needed, a supportive cheerleading captain to boost them into their next adventure. I had a root friend mindset, so I expected everyone to be a root friend for me. In reality, I’ve had a lot of branch friends that have not done much for me. It wasn’t until recently, I had a perfectly normal conversation with myself and sincerely prayed about who was in my life for me who was putting in the same amount of effort to help me be a better me that I was for them. I’m blessed to say I have three fantastic root friends who are in it to win it WITH me. As I get older I’m beginning to understand three is the perfect number and that’s really all I need.”

Am I saying my way or the highway when it comes to terms of thinking, absolutely not. Everyone has different minds sets and different priorities in their life, that’s the exciting part, it’s a blend of personalities. I think everyone should have an undercurrent of wanting to be the best version of themselves. Let’s call that the soil for the tree. The mindset we are grounded in should always be; how can I be a better person? How can I perfect my strengths and what am I doing to work on my weaknesses? Everyone has something to work on concerning themselves so if you have an area or person in your life that is holding you back from being the best possible version of yourself, let go. It is ok to take a beat and work on yourself for a while.