The Gap Year: Let the Stories Go
Reflection #61: Let the Stories Go
Now may be the time
to gently examine the stories
you carry about your life.
Think of something that asks for forgiveness—
from yourself, or from another.
Allow space for that forgiveness to begin.
Bring to mind the confusion,
the old wounds,
the pain that has been with you for so long.
Look at it with compassion, not judgment.
You have gathered many memories—
fragments of time, layered together
to form the narrative of your life.
These stories have shaped you,
and have given meaning to your journey.
Your stories matter.
They deserve to be heard.
But telling them is not about proving a point,
or justifying a belief.
It’s about opening the heart.
It’s about allowing yourself
to feel the emotions beneath the words.
To acknowledge the wounds,
the thoughts, the truths
that have waited for your attention.
Yes, the pain was real.
Yes, your experiences were valid.
Let them be honored—not denied.
And then ask:
How might I remember this differently?
How might I release this story,
so it no longer defines who I am?
You are not your pain.
You are not the story.
You are the one who can choose
to hear, to heal, and to let go.
When the wounds are tended to,
when the heart has been heard,
the stories can finally rest.
Let them go.