
A Beautiful Day for A Trip
It’s a beautiful day.
The sun is shining, a light breeze… a perfect day for boarding the train to take you on that trip you’ve been wanting to go on forever. You’ve boarded, put your bags up, and walk to the back of the train to stand on the little balcony at the back of the caboose. You can hear the station master yelling “All aboard!” and the train begins to shimmy and ready for movement forward.
This is when it gets weird.
You look down and suddenly notice that while you have been enjoying the scene, a handcuff has appeared on your wrist… and there’s a length of chain attached to it that is locked onto the guardrail of the station. This is not good. The train lurches and begins to pull away. Quick: What do you do?
Metaphorically Speaking…
Now of course this couldn’t happen in real life… could it? No one is ever going to handcuff you to the train station just as you’re trying to leave. Metaphorically speaking… ever struggle with wanting to move forward, make a change, be different…but events and experiences are holding you tightly to the past, preventing you from “leaving the station?”
You Have A Choice
Go back to the train scenario… what were you going to do? Depending on your resources (and how many Mission Impossible movies you have seen lately) you might saw off the handcuff quickly so you could stay on the moving train. You could jump off the train so you could remove the handcuff and chain, and then either re-board the train or book another trip at a later date.
Or you could get ripped in two because you didn’t know what to do in the situation… okay, let’s not go with that option.
Letting Go of the Past

You may have had little choice about what happened to you in the past. But letting go of the past is a choice. It can remain there, as does the train station, forever. You can return to it, visit it, or never go back to it again. The fact remains that you are free to get on board, move, grow, and change.
Where Do You Want to Go Today?
The train is leaving the station. Your bags are packed and stored on board. Your trip is already planned and your future awaits.
Where do you want to go today? 🙂
Dr. Anita Sanz, PhD, Psychologist
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