Have you ever watched a tree in autumn?
Like I mean really watched it?
It doesn't fight it,
Doesn't hold on for dear life trying to keep every single leaf.
It just lets them go one by one and somehow it looks beautiful doing it.
I think about that a lot especially recently because for most of us letting go is one of the hardest things we will ever do.
It could be a relationship that ran its course,
A version of yourself that used to be a plan that didn't work out the way you had hoped.
We hold on,
We white knuckle it like if we just grip hard enough things will go back the way they were.
But here's the thing and here's the thing nature keeps trying to show us.
Letting go doesn't mean you're giving up.
It's actually how things grow.
Think about a river.
Water doesn't stop at a rock and go well I guess this is where I live now.
No,
It finds a way around and keeps moving.
Or think about a snake shedding its skin.
Not exactly glamorous right?
It looks uncomfortable,
Looks like a mess.
But that skin,
It had to go.
The snake literally cannot grow without releasing its skin.
And I think that's closer to the truth of letting go than we like to admit.
It's not this peaceful serene moment where you smile and feel immediately free.
Sometimes it's awkward.
Sometimes it hurts.
Sometimes it looks like a mess from the outside.
But on the other side of it,
There's room.
Room for something new,
A new chapter.
Even farmers know this.
When they're fielding,
They just leave it alone for a season.
They don't plant,
No harvesting.
They just let it rest and it comes back richer for it.
We don't really give ourselves that permission,
Do we?
To just rest in between,
To not immediately just fill the space with something new.
But that empty space after letting go,
That is potential.
So next time you're holding on to something,
You know you need a release,
It could be a grudge,
A habit,
A chapter that's clearly over.
Just remember the tree.
It doesn't mourn its leaves.
It trusts that spring is coming.
And so far,
It's been right every single time.
I'll see you in the next video.
