I got home today and discovered that my dog had chewed the corner of a small book of wildlife pictures. None of the actual pictures were damaged, but I can't help thinking, as I look at the gnarled and damaged corner, that the book is ruined. Some things can take some banging around and other things just can't. I live with antiques and have a special love for ones that are old and show their age. I like the nicks and dings because they show the history of the piece and the fact that something doesn't need to be perfect to be beautiful. But not every piece I find fits into our home and I have to take a pass on it and find something with a better fit.
When I was moving, a few years back, I let go of a wonderful old piano that sat in my living room since my kids were little. It was a grand old piece, made in the 1890s. I hated to see it go, but it didn't fit in our new place. I wound up giving it to a young family who wanted to restore it to its original beauty and function. It wasn't something that worked in my life and I knew that if I let it go, it would find a new and better home than mine. None of us played the piano and I was more in love with the potential of that piece than I was its actual value to me. The family that took it had a little girl, not yet two years old and the grandfather restored antiques. They were going to work slowly on the piece, fixing one thing at a time until it was fully restored and ready for music lessons when their daughter turned six, I felt wonderful knowing that the piano would reach its full potential in their home.
It's hard to know sometimes when it's okay to let something go. If it still has usefulness and its own kind of charm, it feels better to just pass it along so someone else can enjoy it. I can still love something in its imperfection, but know it's not for me. Life presents me situations that are fine for someone else, but they don't quite fit at this time, in this place, in my life. I can choose the situations I want to stay in and leave ones that don't fit anymore. Leaving isn't a judgement, its simply part of the ebb and flow of life that allows us to meet needs at different stages of our lives. Parting isn't easy, and it can create a wide range of feelings, but sometimes it is necessary. I have to be brave as I let things go and feel secure that my decisions are for the best.
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