Lessons in Letting Go, Part One

Recently, I had two lessons in letting go. The first involved the Costa Rica writing retreat I had scheduled in November, and the second centered on a reserved hotel room in Fernandina Beach. You’ll hear about that one next week.

My husband Bob and I went to a treehouse hotel in Monteverde, Costa Rica, in 2018 and loved every minute of being there. Their seven or eight treehouses were luxury accommodations in a lush cloud forest, nothing like the backyard treehouse I had as a kid. I talked with the owner and decided to host a writing retreat there. I planned it for November 2020, but then, COVID took over our world.

Three years later, with people back to traveling, I tried again. I began working with the owner and chose the dates. I talked about the retreat, had a few friends ready to go, settled on pricing, and began working on the logistics.

Then, everything went sideways.

Because of the remoteness of the location, providing transfers and meals grew complicated. The owner became less and less cooperative and downright condescending.

After feeling discouraged for a day or so, I let go of the trip and felt immediate relief. A few days later, I contacted our fantastic travel agent, and she and I are now creating an even better Costa Rica writing retreat for March 2024.

Letting go is usually not my first response. I often have to be bludgeoned into it, but crying uncle with no cuts or bruises feels good when I do it. It frees me and allows me to see new possibilities.

With writing, I’ve also experienced the sweetness of letting go. I struggle with some stories not sounding right and not knowing what to do to fix them. I may futz with them for a while, but I know letting go is what’s needed. I have many stories to write. I don’t need to waste all my energy on that one. Then, days or weeks later, I know exactly what is required to fix the problem.

What about you? How easy is it to let go of a story that’s not working? What do you do instead? Tell us about your experience.

If you’d like to do a little writing this week, join us for the free First Tuesday Write and Read on March 7, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. ET. Click here to read more about it and register. You only need to register once, and you’ll receive the link each month.

Remember always: The only way to do this wrong is to not do it at all!

Until next time, happy writing!