Over the past few weeks, I’ve had multiple times when I’ve found myself having to make hard decisions on whether or not to move on from a person or a place. Each time it’s been a difficult decision, and I’ve found myself feeling somewhat guilty afterwards for what I’ve left behind. I think we all do this, even though I’m not sure why. Maybe, as humans, we’re hard-wired for deep emotional attachment to people and places, and by leaving we feel as if we’re giving up a part of ourselves. Maybe we have a hard time letting go of things that were once a huge part of our lives, or maybe we even dread the thought of forgetting something that once brought us so much joy. Whatever the reason, I’m willing to propose that contrary to popular belief, it is okay to move on. Sometimes, it’s even necessary to do so.
Lately, I’ve been beating myself up for finding a new place to call home, for discovering a location that felt more like home than the one that I’ve known for two decades. Through a lot of tears and soul-searching, I’ve come to understand that our lives are made up of so many places. The place where you grow up will always have a place in your heart, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s where you feel the most at home. This is something I’ve struggled with, but I realize that everything has it’s season, and as times change and people change, places change too. It’s okay to feel like home isn’t home anymore. It’s okay to find a new home, and It’s okay to move on.
It’s okay to say goodbye to the things in our lives that don’t make us happy anymore. Often, when we have to give these things up I think it’s a question of loyalty. We feel almost obligated to continue because it’s become a part of us. We wrestle with it, and it eats away at us, but yet we stay because we feel like we have to. Friends, everything has it’s season. If a certain season has ended, don’t be afraid to let go and move on. From personal experience, I have come to learn that this can sometimes be the best choice you can make. You don’t have to feel stuck or trapped. Our world is always changing, something new is always in motion. If the sand in the hourglass has finally run out, don’t flip it over and try to mold things back into how they used to be, find a new hourglass.
As humans we hate change. It’s frightening and uncertain, and we avoid it all costs. But no matter what we do, we can’t stop it. Things are always changing, and in order to keep moving forward, we must learn to let go of the things in our lives that no longer belong. We must come to accept that it is okay to move on and burn some bridges every once in a while. Only by moving on do we find bigger and better things, the things that lead us to who we are and who we want to be. Moving on is a part of life and through doing so I think we’ll come to find that moving on means moving to better things.
