We all have things that get in the way of being the best version of ourselves. These “things” look differently for everyone, but they exist regardless. I think that pain is worth recognizing, staring straight in the face, and it's important to be willing to let go of whatever you can bring yourself to release.

When I was a senior in high school, my little brother was in second grade. He is hands-down the greatest blessing in my life and we are very close. He has always been an exceptionally well-behaved child, but one morning I noticed a drastic change. I was helping him get ready for school but he was not at all cooperative; he started violently throwing things, crying, and refusing to go to school at all. His sudden angry outburst that he took out on both my mom and me was so shocking that I skipped school that day to help get to the bottom of the issue at hand.

We finally corralled him into the car to take him to school, but he sat sobbing in the backseat. I felt so helpless and it shattered my heart into a million pieces to see his sweet face look so distant and pained. After I wiped his tears and watched him walk slowly into the door of school with his head down, I knew I had to do something to help him and get to the bottom of what was wrong.

Finally I had an idea that I thought might help. I picked him up from school that day and was relieved to see him looking better than he had that morning, but still missing the light in his eyes that I so adore. I told him to prepare for an adventure. He was skeptical, to say the least, when we pulled up to Party City. I had both of us pick out our favorite color balloon – mine purple and his blue. We filled them with helium and got back into the car. I played some of our favorite songs and finally, he confessed to me the reason for his morning outburst: there was a boy at school who was being mean to him and he didn’t know how to deal with it. This broke my heart even more, but I held it together for his sake.

He was surprised again when we arrived at my favorite spot in our whole town: it’s the top of an old Indian burial mound where you can look down and see almost the entire town. I can’t even begin to describe this magical view, but trust me; it’s a good one.

I pulled out a few slips of paper and a pen, and we both wrote down whatever problems or worries we were facing at that moment. We folded the papers and taped them tightly to the balloon strings. On the count of three, we got out of the car and let go of our balloons and our worries. His blue balloon shot straight up and suddenly a bright smile stretched across his little face. My purple one got stuck in a nearby tree at first, then slowly drifted up and away, high above us.

Our “things” at that time were different than the ones we face now, but the concept of letting go still applies. Pain is universal; some people definitely have more of it, but that doesn’t make anyone else’s pain less valid. Maybe my balloon getting stuck in that tree represents the obstacles that I encountered in my attempt to let go. My brother's balloon shot straight up and he felt better right away, but that didn't mean that his pain disappeared. He just chose to view it in a new way. People cope differently and that's okay.

I think it’s important to feel your pain. Recognize it and name it, and this will take away some of the power it has over you. Maybe even consider picking out a balloon of your favorite color, attaching whatever it is you’re holding onto, and just letting it go. Watch the wind carry it away and know that pain is temporary and relative. Remember the good things that you do want to hold on to and keep those close. Of course a balloon isn’t going to eliminate your problems, but it might just be the demonstration you need to take a step towards recovering from the hurt in your heart.