Bag Lady: Learning to LET GO of All That Baggage

Just like a new purse or piece of luggage, the “emotional baggage” we carry in our lives comes in all shapes, forms and characters. It can be an old relationship you’re holding onto, maybe it’s an ISSUE from the relationship that you just can’t let go of, a fight you had with friends that you’re holding a grudge on one of them for, something your parents did (or didn’t do) when raising you, a regret you may have with yourself… among many other things. No matter the type, size, or condition of the bags – sometimes it’s just time to buy some new stuff. Revamp your image a little and feel good about having something new… a new beginning. Similar to the problems everyone goes through in life, the daily bags that you carry can eventually just weigh you down and prevent you from having your eyes open to something positive right in front of you. Erykah Badu expressed it best in her song “Bag Lady” & her lyrics below are a prime example of what I mean about baggage…

“Bag lady you gon’ miss your bus, 

You can't hurry up, cause you got too much stuff
When they see you coming, N*ggas take off running... 

From you it's true oh yes they do”  --Erykah Badu

B-R-O-K-E-N    D-O-W-N:

“Bag lady you gon’ miss your bus” – meaning, you are going to miss an opportunity for something in life when it’s right in front of you

“You can’t hurry up, cause you got too much stuff” – you can’t run to catch the bus (achieve something, get the man of your dreams, get that promotion at work you want) because you are carrying too much baggage… the baggage is blocking your view of something right in front of you and weighing you down preventing you from being able to reach out and grab that goal of yours

“When they see you coming, n*ggas take off running” – who wants someone who has a whole lot of baggage? Whether you are trying to start a new relationship or meet a new friend… people have enough issues of their own, why would they want to start something that should be fresh and positive with someone who is bringing so much negative to the start of something?

The moral is: take a few minutes out of your “busy” life and think about the amount of baggage you are carrying around on a daily basis. How long have you been carrying some of those bags? Weeks? Months? Maybe even years? It’s unnecessary, unhealthy and really just pathetic. If you need to forgive someone for something, you have to forgive yourself first… start at the root of the problem and put your pride to the side. Think about WHY it’s necessary for you to still be upset with them and what good it’s doing in your life. Do you think they are sitting around thinking about you the same way? Most likely… no (and if they are, let them WASTE their time). You are causing damage to your spirit by not allowing yourself to forgive and forget things. You have this weight on your shoulders that brings down your overall mood because while you might smile on the outside, something is constantly bugging you on the inside. You cannot truly begin a new relationship or grasp an opportunity without having a clear focus and not bringing old issues into something that should really be refreshing. Your man (or girl) does not want to hear about allllllllllll of the negative things from a past relationship… all you are proving is that you have tons of baggage and are not really over your past. So today, take each piece of baggage you own, open it, search through it's contents and throw away what you do not need. Embrace the good, get rid of the bad & allow yourself to embrace what is right in front of you… that’s all it takes!

Let it go, let it go, let it go…