Lay It Down

I've heard stories about Appalachian trail hikers.  People say that along the route, camping gear,  etc. can be found along the trail.  It started out as a good idea, but the longer people hiked, the more the cost of those items didn't matter.  They were just too heavy for their journey.

Do you ever feel like that?  Like the things you thought were important were just too heavy to carry on? We place value on things that weigh us down even if we see it as negative.  What we focus on is what we carry.  Sometimes it gets to a point where you just have to leave them be and go on.  When the load becomes lighter, the hike has to become more enjoyable. In my life, I often find I didn't know I was carrying something heavy until it was gone.  ahhhhhh...freedom.   I'm always thankful for the relief AND I'm thankful for the strength that carried me until I became ready to let go.  I love a quote I read recently, "We are not defined by what we have, but by what we let go."  Not sure if that quote completely illustrates my point, but I still love it.  I suppose no matter what we cling to, there is freedom in the release. 

I was thinking of people I've known whose physical weight becomes an emotion weight as well.  Sometimes our image is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves on the inside. Maybe it's just some odd belief.   It could even be a negative perspective about the weight loss journey itself.  Or perhaps it's using food to cope with some other heavy issues.  The extra "stuff" we pack may even have seemed like a good idea at first or even something we thought we "needed."  No matter what the reason, the weight is still heavy.

I'm convinced that when we feel good on the inside,  it makes it easier to feel good on the outside. Laying things down is a nice taste of freedom that makes us desire to keep on walking.  

What might you toss from your backpack that could lighten the load?  What are some heavy things you've already traded for freedom on your journey?

It always feels better to lay it down.