In the mood WISDOM
LIFE AS I KNOW IT
Harriet Minter makes like a leaf and discovers the liberation of letting go
They say that this time of year reminds us how good it is to let things go. The beauty of fallen leaves, squished into pavements like paint splodges thrown by Jackson Pollock, is a reminder that sometimes we’re supposed to drop those things we’ve been hanging onto. In my bones, I know this to be true. And yet I still cling onto decaying fragments well into winter.
This tendency to hold onto things that no longer serve me has been a constant in my life. I’ve stayed in jobs too long, given partners too many chances, stuffed my wardrobe full of clothes that no longer fit. Whenever I try to prise my hands off them, my brain plays a trick on me, running a highlights reel of all the moments when these things were good.
I know this is something I need to deal with, so I turn to the oracle of all big questions and I Google, ‘Why do I find it so hard to let go? And like all good oracles, Google presents me with a range of answers that only give half truths. But after hours of trawling, I think I might have found an answer. I can’t let go of these things because I see them as a core part of my identity.
This is most obviously true when it comes to jobs. I’ve always been very attached to having a clear job title. When I left my last big journalism job, it took mon
