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FIGURING IT OUT
I Deserve to be Free
And not burdened by an overstuffed cart
“Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” — Eckhart Tolle, from Mindfulness Exercises
An epiphany occurred
when I saw a homeless man
pushing an overstuffed cart.
If only he could lighten his load,
he could save himself.I was much like him.
I had my own cart—
a mental and emotional one,
loaded down with stuff
I collected through the years.It was the same junk;
the same burdens
that makes me lose sleep,
cause me to overeat,
or dwell on regrets
and unjustified guilt.The homeless man and I
shared the same anomaly
but his was only worse.We cling to the past
and let negative events
echo in our heads
that dictate how we think.We both are vulnerable,
have limited energy
and strength,
our unwieldy carts
make it a struggle
to push.I had a moment of clarity.
If I could lighten my load,
and pace myself
during my long journey,
I could make it to the end.So I unzipped my coat,
took off my bulky sweater,
sat under a fig tree…
