My sister gave me this print when I was in graduate school. I was having a ridiculously hard time with my Doctoral Advisor and she was making my last year a nightmare. Without being rude and telling you what I think of her (grrr!), let’s just say that she walked me to graduation, she “hooded” me, and we have never spoke again. I jumped through more hoops than a dog in training! A few months after graduation, my boyfriend and I split up. It kinda felt like I got kicked in the butt and kicked in the face. That last year was more stressful than it had to be both personally and professionally. So for Christmas later that year (2002), my sister gave me the print above. I cried. Of course I cried, I’m a freakin mush pot! But I read it and read it until I finally understood what it meant. Today, it hangs above my desk as a reminder of the load I was carrying, but don’t anymore.
This print speaks about a different kind of weight training than you do in the gym. This is the baggage that we carry around with us. Sometimes we’re even carrying things that aren’t ours! We carry it until we realize we don’t need it anymore, it doesn’t hold a space anymore, and we can let it go. At that point, it weighs nothing. What we’re carrying is different for everyone, but we all have something we’re carrying right now. I just wanted to provide a simple reminder that you don’t have to carry all the weight. You can let it go. Ponder the thought. Whatever is weighing you down, let it go. Drop it. You do not need to carry it anymore.