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Relinquish the Wagon
By CM Riddle
Many of us go through life dragging a wagon behind us. Gripping the handle, we continue to pull it along while we try grasping at things ahead of us with the other hand. Imagine how much more we could attain if only we could bring ourselves to release that dang wagon.
What could possibly be so important in that wagon, you may ask. Well, there’s a lot of history in it, I will tell you that.
It is packed with cherished memories and painful experiences. It gets heavier every year. The grudges weigh a lot, and the guilt slows your pace. But with every step, tugging your wrist, pulling your elbow, and making those broad shoulders, which carry the weight of the world, so weary your, grip begins to slip.
You wonder where your breaking point will be. Will it be the next uphill battle or will you reach the top of the mountain with elation just to push it over the edge?
Will you watch the wagon roll slowly at first, then pick up speed, to finally crash and splinter into a zillion pieces?
Is that where you will find relief? A shattered wagon at the bottom of the mountain, there, bleeding where the colors of your life run together and you no longer recognize what is what?
Or, what if you do this? What if you take a risk? What if you take a chance and unpack one thing to leave behind. If you do, what will it be? A bad memory, hurt feelings, or a lie you told. Might it be your distaste for Swiss chard? Are you willing to sacrifice a friendship that’s run long past its expiration, or throw out that old ratty quilt that a distant relative gave you which was in bad shape when you got it?
Is there a piece of you that you will let fall away? Your stubbornness, or maybe your inclination to argue over every little trigger? Might you exchange those traits for peace, and if you do, will the wagon weigh less? Perhaps.
Are you carrying around a decision that has yet to be made, or did you make the wrong choice and you ruminate over it? No matter. Each day presents the opportunity to begin anew.
A wise man once said, “Make the choice, if it’s not right, another avenue will present itself. Then choose again. Time is what’s valuable, don’t waste it with indecision.”
Those words of wisdom keep my wagon mobile, but there are days I still find stuff to lug around.
I hope you will take this advice from me; there is always another wagon filled with crap. They are all over the place. Many people have abandoned their wagons, and you can too.
The method is to let go with the hand holding the past and to reach out with both hands to grab the future. Your future, the fresh clean page of opportunity, gifts, optimism, growth, light, and empowerment are before you. Don’t be afraid to extend both hands, to fill them up. You will be amazed at what you can do once you relinquish your wagon. And, if for some reason you need to get anything from it, it will be there along the path, right where you left it.
Now go. Grasp life with both hands.
Tina Riddle Deason writes under the name CM Riddle. An author and creator, Tina has published several articles and books, including those about rituals and ceremonies. She is a High Priestess who leads a variety of Women’s Circles. A mother and grandmother who lives with her husband and “fur-babies” in Rohnert Park, CA.
