Letting Go

I used to have a rabbit. I used to have fish. And a cat. Then the fish died. Then I ended up with a dog. Still had the cat and the rabbit. Then the rabbit died. Then I ended up with another cat. Oh and there was a tarantula and another rabbit and some baby rabbits in there too. 

It was some time ago that my spider, my fish and my rabbit died. Not all at the same time though thank goodness! My dad was down here a few weeks ago and we cleaned out underneath the front steps. It's a horrible dirty stinky mouldy place under there. That's where I had my pet stuff stored. A fish tank and paraphernalia. A couple of rabbit pens and paraphernalia. A spider tank. He was wondering why I still had all that stuff. I didn't have the animals anymore so why would I still hang onto all that physical stuff? I said what if I get more fish? Or another rabbit? He chuckled and shook his head and grinned at me the way a dad does when he doesn't understand why his daughter does the things she does. 

I thought about it for a while after he had left. Why was I holding on to these things? What did they mean to me? What did they represent to me? Was it something as simple as "out of sight, out of mind"?

I let them go. To people that needed them that will use them to make a good home for some lucky pets.  Some fish for a little girl. An orphaned jack rabbit for a young couple. It was sad for me but good for me to do. 

Why do we hold on? Why do we let go of some stuff and not others? Physically, emotionally, spiritually, literally, figuratively, with anger, with love, with need, with desire, with jealousy, with every ounce of our being, sometimes.

What do you hold onto and why?

PS You should see my dad's garage/woodshed/storage building.  It's full of stuff he doesn't use. Not that I'm pointing fingers but if he wonders where I learned this behaviour...