Letting go of the past

I was listening to a critical care doctor speak recently and he was talking about letting go, specifically, “It’s okay to die.” The statement seemed rather harsh when I first hear it, especially coming from a physician. But as we struggle with the challenges of chemo, there are some things we have to be willing to release.

Letting go of bad health habits is probably the most important. Seeing people smoking in the parking lot of the cancer center seems odd to me. Yet, it happens. People have difficulty letting go of habits they’ve held most of their adult lives.

Letting go of certain food from our diet, those high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and too many carbohydrates, can be tough. We grow accustomed to those “comfort foods” and hate to let them go.

Other things such as certain activities that take a lot of energy, taking long trips, and things that create stress, may not be in our best interest. We need to be close to our care team. Access to medicine is important.

And then, eventually, we have to be okay with letting go of life. No one likes to talk about that aspect, but when the quality of our life diminishes to the point we can no longer function at all, it really is okay to die. It’s sad, but it’s not bad.

Consider talking with someone about letting go of some things in your life.

03.16.2023

Rejoice! REAL PEOPLE, fake backgrounds is now available for purchase! Check our home page for other great books!