Sunday’s Reflection: “Let Go Of The Old Stuff”
As I took my Walk, I thought about how we must let go of the old stuff.
This week, I decided to clean my house…thoroughly. I didn’t just shift(throw things out of view)…I cleaned.
One of those areas that I made more tidy was the dining room closet. It was filled with boxes and random stuff. Filtering through those items was a veritable walk down memory lane. There were old articles. Mission trip mementos. Information from my time as a paraprofessional(super unnecessary, too). And of course, things from my time at Thompson Elementary.
In middle of sorting through the boxes, I caught myself and asked: Why do I still have this stuff? It serves no purpose other than taking up space.
So, I threw out the old stuff.
My closet-cleaning experience is an allegory to real life. We hold onto old stuff for no reason. Poor treatment by a friend or family member. Former victories. Past mistakes.
Everyone does it. And they all come with a set of consequences. If you hold onto that poor treatment by a friend or family member, your relationship likely will never be restored. If you bask in former victories, you’ll become stagnant and won’t evolve into the best version of yourself. And if you beat yourself up over past mistakes, you’ll never turn your “mess into a message.”
While cleaning out my closet, I was reminded of a moment from early in the school year. I showed my current students the background to my phone. It was a picture of my 2nd group of kids on 5th grade graduation day.
Then one of my student’s said: “Maybe we could be the background of my phone.”
Me:…
That was a “unique” group with a special place in my heart. If there’s ever a story about my teaching career, those scholars would be the main source material.
Even with all of that, I came to a realization: I was holding onto them.
So, I changed the background to phone to my new kids. It’s time that I give my all to them.
I’m letting go of the old stuff.
I leave you with two things.
1. Do you hold onto old stuff?
2. Are you prepared to let it go?
Jeremiah Short, Educator
The Phenomenal Student 