“Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down” —Toni Morrison
Hands down this quote stopped me in my tracks.
I read it during my time of reflection going through a divorce. Whoa… I was carrying a lot of shit at the time. Old hurts and resentments clinging to my heart like fudge cake and ice cream to my thighs.
I toted that stuff around to justify myself, to put the blame in someone else’s corner. Rationalization has always been my strong suit. Ask any perennial dieter.
But this one sentence….brought me up short, helped me see I needed to rid myself of the resentment to move forward with my life. I was a single mom with three pre-schoolers who I did not want to see my negativity. I hope I succeeded.
One of the boys once wrote to me he would always remember when things were hard or scary I would find something funny or silly to lighten the mood. I see him do the same with his daughter now, touching my heart.
I still tussle with resentments, but not for long. I refuse to let someone have power over me. The ice cream though… it usually wins.
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