What We Carry Forward
Have you ever noticed how emotions are weightless, yet they can feel impossibly heavy? As if our own thoughts have the power to pin us to the ground.
It’s a strange thing—the kind of heaviness that doesn’t show up on a scale, even though we’ve been carrying it for years. We talk about what we carry on, but rarely what we carry around. And not everything fits neatly into the overhead compartment or tucks under the seat in front of us. No matter how much we try to unpack, some things still take up more space than we expect.
Joy and happiness often pass through us like light or a breeze, but emotions like grief, regret, or anger? They settle in. They linger. Heavy as stone, quiet as fog.
“We do not heal the past by dwelling there; we heal the past by living fully in the present.”
— Marianne Williamson
Emotional Weight vs. Physical Clutter
We often take time to declutter our closets, garages, or desks—clearing out what no longer serves us. But we rarely do the same with our emotional lives. We keep adding more and more to the invisible load. And just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean we’re not carrying it.
Why do we treat emotional weight as if it’s not real?
What have I been holding onto that no longer needs to come with me?
What We Choose to Keep
Some things are worth carrying. Joy. Purpose. Moments of awe. Quiet memories that help us feel grounded and alive. But when the heavy stuff—resentments, old fears, self-doubt—takes up all the room, where do we store the good stuff?
It’s worth asking:
What clings that I can let go of?
What deserves a place in my story?
What can I release to make space for something lighter?
There’s a gentle kind of grace in choosing what we carry forward. A grace in recognizing that our differences don’t separate us as much as they reveal the ways we are all connected. Maybe that’s wisdom. Or maybe it’s just remembering we’re human—messy, emotional, resilient, and real.
“The things we leave behind are just as important as the things we carry forward.”
— Erika Anderson
Letting Go Without Losing the Meaning
We don’t have to erase the past to unburden ourselves.
We don’t have to forget in order to forgive.
We can hold our stories—yes, even the hard ones—with tenderness, not tension.
Think of it like packing for a trip. I don’t need to bring everything in the closet for a week away. I just need what brings comfort, clarity, and ease. That’s true for the emotional load, too.
I don’t tear pages from the book of my life. I just read some of them differently now. And that’s what helps lighten the weight.
“Sometimes carrying something doesn’t mean holding on. It means holding with care before letting go.”
— Yung Pueblo
What Will I Carry Forward?
Stillness has taught me something. Pausing, even briefly, gives me the chance to check in with what I’m holding.
So here’s what I’ll carry with me now:
— The kindness in the eyes of people who met me with compassion
— The strength in knowing I don’t have to hold everything so tightly
— The awareness that some things simply aren’t meant to come along
“If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down.”
— Toni Morrison
So I’ll keep choosing to carry light. For myself. For others. For a world that sometimes forgets it has a choice.
Talk soon,
G