"To linger in the past is to do so at the expense of your future."
~ Ron Rubin and Stuart Avery Gold, "Tiger Heart, Tiger Mind."

How do you find the balance between what to let go and what to keep so you don't make the same mistake twice? I don't think I know how to let some things go even though part of me knows I should. I hoard not only material things (all my junk and clutter), but memories as well. I suppose the inside of my head is as messed up as my surroundings.

"I also sometimes need to let go of people. In the course of life,
relationships come and go. If it's a natural flow, it's generally easy
to move on. But if the parting was fraught with anger, sadness or pain,
we may be more reluctant to let it go. We may need to grieve the loss or
forgive a hurtful act.

When someone hurts us, we relive the interaction over and over again and
fan the flames of anger. We often resist forgiving, because we feel it
condones the hurtful action or behavior. But forgiving is something we
do for ourselves, not the other. It's how we release ourselves from a
situation that no longer works. By forgiving, we reclaim energy that we
had been pouring into keeping alive an old issue. We can then let go of
that relationship or give it new life."
~Sharon Good, "Living the Creative Life"