“Finish each day and be done with it. you have done what you could. some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. tomorrow is a new day. you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I keep mulling over these words from Emerson. The question I desperately need to answer –  What prevents me from letting go of the past?  In this space, I’ve talked of my persistent problem to really live in the moment. Each time I try to immerse myself in the present, the past tugs at me so hard I can’t breathe. It is a consistent and persistent battle.

The mantra that keeps repeating itself is “Let it go.” But how do I practice this? To be honest, I don’t. In a recent conversation with my sister, I harped on an incident that bruised me over five months ago and it hit me, “Why am I still talking about this?” It was a situation where many of the decisions weren’t even in my control. This is the realization I usually have after the fact. Where do I want to be? A place where I may mull about the past for a few minutes, but then also have the courage to really experience the current moment.

I forget that I have the choice to direct my thoughts. This is the ONLY and most essential part I can control.

I’m asking this question from you – How do you let go? Does the past dominate your thoughts? Do you really live Emerson’s words?