Let it go, Let it go, Can’t hold it back anymore!!!

I listen to my daughters belting their hearts out… Twirling and leaping… Repeating that infamous ear-worm from Disney’s “Frozen” over and over and over again!

Groan.

I take solace in knowing that almost every parent out there is going through the same pain and suffering… Even more embarassingly, there are those moments you catch yourself emphatically singing “…the past is in the past! Let it go!” and “Let the storm rage on, the cold doesn’t bother me anyway”…

Ah, Disney has really done it this time! Male and female, young and old, no one can fight the power of “Let it go” until they find an equally infectious song such as “Happy”, by Pharrell.

Despicable Me 2’s “Happy” lost the Oscar for best song to Frozen’s “Let it go” but its popularity rivals “Let it go”. It is my go-to song for a mood booster.

Can you see the metaphor? Holding on to resentment keeps us frozen in the past. We hold on the grudges and slights, misgivings and disappointments, letting the poison of unforgiveness seep through our bodies, minds and souls. We are frozen, numb, stiff. We punish ourselves and poison the new with the pain of the past.

I remember a quote about unforgiveness being like drinking poison expecting the other person to die.

Our backs are hunched with burdens we were never meant to carry. Burdens of grief, anger, guilt, shame, humiliation…

It is ok to grieve. By all means, please take the time to do so. But in order to live bouyantly, freely and authentically, we will have to release those burdens. Yes, we need good boundaries to protect us from toxic people and situations. But we also need to let go of the poison.

Let it go.

I love that in “Frozen”, a loving act saves the sister and breaks the spell.

Enter “Happy”. I have listened to that song zillions of times and I still don’t tire of it. I love the abandon, the unapologetic joy, the dancing…
Pure freedom!

Choose happiness over resentment. Choose positivity over negativity. Happiness is the truth like Pharrell says.

James 1:2 “Count it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds.”

I know that when I feel resentful or small, choosing to encourage or serve others brings me joy. What makes you happy? Music? Service? Writing? What ever it is,
do it.

Let go of the resentment, bitterness and unforgiveness. Unforgiveness contaminates everything you do, it clouds your vision and poisons your relationships and even shortens your lifespan.When thinking bitterly, Cortisol is released and it stresses your heart. The worst part is, the person you are mad at is somewhere eating ice-cream, oblivious of the pain and suffering you are going through, and probably could care less!

Some people think choosing happiness is trivial, silly, unrealistic and immature. Happiness is not being in denial. Choosing to be happy is courageous. You choose. And that choice can save your life. It frees up the energy bound up in negativity.

Harness this new energy to live your ideals and build the life you truly want.

Choose to be happy! Let it go!