Chapter 39: The Year of Letting Go

Hello Peeps! I know it has been a long time – nearly 3 months to be exact. Summer came in like a whirlwind with more commitments, travel, and tasks than I anticipated. Now we are just 2 weeks away from the resuming school-related activities and I finally feel like I have a moment to halt, catch my breath, reflect, and prepare for the next leg of my journey. Even with all the movement over the last few months, summer also brought in some thrills. I presented at a few conferences, caught up with friends, traveled to the west coast for a research institute, and worked on a few writing projects. I also started writing Chapter 39!

I’d originally planned to throw a big beach bash, but my budget and energy level said “not so”. Instead, I invited my 4 closest friends to my home for a week. This was one of the best decisions I made. For nearly 7 days my home was filled with an extra abundance of love, laughter, reminiscing, and joy! Having my closest girlfriends together again (the first time since last year) reminded me of the treasure of friendship and how I long to be close to those who are genuine. They reminded me of the value of authenticity and why it is challenging for me to spend quality time with those who represent anything less than that. My friends reminded me of how multifaceted life – as well as our personalities – are and the gem in taking time to be with loved ones. As they helped to usher in my birthday, I felt even better about this new chapter of my life.

Like many or even most, I have experienced some bumps along the road. This last year has been especially important as it has granted me an opportunity to recreate my life in all the major ways I desired. With my dream career, a new location, new people, new adventures, and new relationships, nearly every aspect of my life has shifted. But a few things remain the same. I still treasure my family and friends. I still believe in being genuine and honest. I still search for opportunities to create and nurture love. And I still believe in the possibility of even greater things to come. This parallel existence of new and old seat me in my year of 39 with boldness, grace, gratitude, and excitement! I don’t have the same insecurities I had a decade or even a few years ago. Even with the physical and emotional changes that come with 39, I feel like I have become and am still becoming the woman I’ve wanted to be. I am so incredibly grateful for my life – in every way! And I am excited about all that is ahead.

Alongside an overdue update, this blog post and new chapter welcome me back to social media. I took an extended break to reevaluate the people who have seeped into my life or lingered too long, as well as how I’ve been spending my leisure time. I don’t remember how long it has been, but it felt good to be away. Social media has an interesting way of allowing us to become caught in falsehood – a belief in the existence of things that aren’t really there. In an effort to minimize my engagement with this falsehood in every area of my life, I am calling this chapter “The Year of Letting Go” and my time away helped me see why this theme is critical.

I am letting go of things, people, practices …. beliefs that no longer serve me. I have a tendency to hold on to people simply because we have history or share some powerful story in how we met. Even when these relationships are dead or toxic, there I am still holding on. I hold on to beliefs simply because I haven’t taken a moment to re-examine them or admit that things have shifted, as should my thinking. I hold on to practices because I said I would – even when s*(! isn’t working. So in addition to embracing 39, I am actively practicing letting go of anyone or anything that no longer serves me. Here is to another amazing year! xoxoxo