Letting Go
Yesterday my 6-year-old son learned to ride a bike. It was his third try and within the hour he was off. My husband and I watched in amazement. We had taken turns holding the seat while he rode and we were both able to let go and watch him ride confidently on his own. It was a memorable day and one we will cherish forever.
Letting go of his bike is symbolic of the entire process of parenting, and I believe, of life itself. Often the day-to-day of life can be stressful and tiresome, but yesterday made me realize how fleeting it all is. Even the most mundane or frustrating of moments will soon become a memory.
As I watched my son ride away, I remembered with perfect clarity the day I first saw a sonogram of him, the day of his birth, and many firsts we have experienced since, and I could not believe that same little baby is now a 6-year-old riding a bike. It made me wistful, certainly, but more so, it made me thankful and proud to be so in tune with the momentariness of life.
This coming weekend will mark three weeks since a beloved uncle died and watching my son ride away made me think of his nearly 90 years on this earth. He was once a 6-year-old boy riding on his bike and now he is gone. I am certain there were days and years in his life that seemed to drag on, but ultimately they flew by and just shy of his 90th birthday, he has left this world.
My reflections may seem despondent, but on the contrary, the recent loss of my uncle and watching my son ride his bike has made me quite sensitive to the fact that each day, each moment must be cherished. Like quick sand, the moments we live slip by and we are often too wrapped up in what’s to come or what’s left behind that we miss the present.
Life is ultimately a process of letting go. I have come to realize, however, that if we are brave enough to let go, we are in truth living life to the fullest. I without a doubt felt a tug at my heartstrings watching my son reach another milestone that takes him further away from the boy who needs his parents, but that is my husband’s and my role. We have to prepare him to be independent, to know he can get back up when he falls and to know that even after we are long gone, we are in his corner.
Yesterday we let go of our son. Each day forthcoming we will let go a little more and as we do, we will also relish in the gift of the moment.
