Let Go of the Past

It’s so easy to let the past cripple and define us.

We hold onto experiences, beliefs, and heartache, thinking those things are still real, that they have control over us. But they don’t, unless we let them.

Many readers of my novel, Skinny Me, focus on the main character’s weight loss journey and her issues with self-image and self-acceptance. In past posts I’ve focused on that too, but the story is about a lot more than those issues.

Jennifer, the narrator of the book, is a complex person with a history of hurt and misunderstanding. When the novel begins she’s at an all-time low. She’s out of work, her mother has recently died, and she’s less than close with the rest of her family. To make matters worse, she let’s herself fall into a habit of holding onto pain and letting her past determine her future.

I know I’ve also been guilty of this at times in my life and imagine many people reading this have as well.

Another character in the novel helps Jennifer realize what she’s doing and helps her see that when we hold onto a past that no longer exists, all it does is bring us pain.

Through Jennifer’s character, I wanted to explore how we can learn from our past and recognize its pain while realizing the only moment that ever defines us is the one we’re living right now. After that moment passes, we have the freedom to move on from it and live the present moment. Easy to say, and hard to do, but when we do—oh how beautiful life is!