It's been a whirlwind since we got back from vacation, and now it almost feels like we were never gone. I don't want to lose the way it felt when I was on the mountain, so I make it a point to pause and look at the great pictures we took at least once a day. The pictures help me find those feelings I had on our trip that gave me such a sense of peace.
Just like those peaceful feelings we so quickly lose after returning from vacation, we lose other things in life all the time. Sometimes we find them, and sometimes they stay lost forever.
Here are a few examples:
Jake lost a sock in Washington State.
My aunt found it after we left.
Jake also lost his cell phone on the plane on our way home.
The airline found it and shipped it back to us.
I lost my passport and paid extra to expedite a new one before Ryder's trip to the Dominican Republic last year.
Jake found it in the console in my car on Wednesday. I looked every single other place I could think of, except there!
These things were annoying to lose and I was grateful that we found them, but they didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
I have learned over the course of my life, that there are certain things that actually make life better when you lose them. Not so much the material stuff, like socks, cell phones and passports. But the things that aren't really helping us be the best version of ourselves.
These things have to be lost so you can learn from them and find something that fits just a little better, feels just a little more right, and helps you grow.
A few examples:
That person who is always negative and drains your energy
That feeling that you aren't ever good enough
That job that you dread going to every day
That expectation of how your life is "supposed" to be, that keeps you from living the life you are meant to have
That perception that other people are always judging you that holds you back from being true to yourself
That relationship that isn't bringing you joy
In my opinion, all of these are worth losing.
We deserve to live a life where we can be the very best version of ourselves. A life where we are surrounded by positive energy and we feel happy and peaceful (at least most of the time).
Sometimes the process of getting there can be painful. You have to be strong enough and love yourself enough to lose the things that don't add value to your life. And even more importantly, to try not to find those same things again once they are gone.
There is no Lost and Found department on this journey we call life. But, I like to think that we don't need one. The things we find along the way that make us the very best person we can be are typically much more valuable than those that we lose.
So, next time you lose something, intentionally, or unintentionally, and you are feeling the need to search for it, ask yourself this:
Does this missing thing add value to my life?
If the answer is no, maybe you shouldn’t bother trying to find it.