The Weight Of Grudges

About a decade ago, a stray dog walked into my compound. It looked scrawny, sick, and tired. Naturally, I felt pity for the poor thing. Luckily, everyone in my home, except my dad, is a dog lover, so we welcomed him to his new home. He was so tired and sick that he could barely move. The first thing we gave him was milk. We tended to him and after about two days, he regained his strength. Soon enough, he became a part of the family. He got used to us very quickly. We'd take him out for walks. Just when we started thinking about giving him names, the owner came looking for him. Apparently, he had been looking for the dog and was directed to our house. Of course, we had to let him go. After all, he wasn't ours to begin with.

Despite the fact that the dog barely spent up to 2 weeks with us, it was difficult to let him go. It felt like someone came to snatch something that belonged to me. Letting go is one of the hardest things to do. As humans, sometimes we easily and naturally get used to things and hold on to them, whether it is friends, family members or material things. Sometimes we hold on tightly to things even when it is hurting us and we do not realize how deep it is until we start bleeding heavily. Sometimes, we do not even realize how tightly we are holding on until it starts affecting our peace.

For this week’s Real Talk Prompt, the community asks us an interesting question: what did you let go of that you are happy about? For me, it is grudges. Many of us have been hurt by our fellow human beings. It is even more painful when it is coming from people who are close to us. We retract, and vow not to ever talk to them again. We start holding grudges and even make up our minds not to ever forgive them.

I have been in this position. I was hurt by my friends, and for a long time, I carried grudges in my heart. I vowed never to visit them again. However, I started to notice something. The people I was angry with were living their lives freely, while I was the one carrying the weight. I was the one seething and thinking about revenge while they were sleeping peacefully and having fun. That was my cue to let go.

Letting go didn't happen at once. I embarked on a journey. I took things step by step until I finally let go of the grudges and I can assure you that it is so much better than having weights on your chest.

Image is mine.

Thanks for reading.