The Glass of Water.

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- By Bruno Gideon

A speaker held a glass of water up and asked his audience, “How heavy do you think this is?” Someone called out, “Two hundred grams?” The speaker shook his head. “The actual weight is not important,” he said. “The weight depends on how long I hold it up. If I hold it for a minute, that’s no problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’m going to have a very sore arm. If I hold it up for a whole day, someone’s going to have to call an ambulance.”

Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.
–Anonymous

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned,
so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.
–Joseph Campbell

It’s true at the emotional level, too. A few days of holding onto the resentment we feel over a disagreement with a friend does not cause an obvious problem. Holding on any longer than that, however, will put the relationship at serious risk. Just as the speaker had to put the glass down to save his arm, so we should let go of resentment in order to save our relationships and our emotional health. The letting go can take one of two forms. One is to let go of what’s bothering us in order to repair the relationship. The other is to openly and decisively let go of the relationship itself if it s clear that, despite our best efforts, there is no hope of repair.

What about you right now? Is something getting heavier by the day because you won’t let go?

- Bruno Gideon