On letting people go

This is a collaboration with +Gabriel Vuong, his blog is called "Morning Glory". It's a really interesting one. I hope you like it, just like I do.

This piece of writing down below which you're gonna read is mostly his work ( of course i did get involve because this is a collab). And if you want to read mine then click here, it will lead you to my work on Gabriel Vuong's blog. And of course, remember to check out his work there.

Without any further ado, let's get started.

And yup, all photos are taken by me

Merry Christmas by the way.

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Fuji C200

This is weird. Letting people go? I actually have never thought about this before. But somehow, 3:00 AM last night and I was still like, 782150 sheep… 782151 sheep… And this weird shit came up to my mind. And you know how deep people can get when it’s 3 o’clock in the morning and they can’t fall into sleep.

Looking back over my life, I don’t think I’ve dealt with this a lot. I mean, of course I must have lost many people on the way, but I don’t recall any tear or grief for anybody except for my 2 cats. They are the first and only thing I’ve ever had to struggle to let go and the only thing I think of when I listen to “One Sweet Day”.

So let me tell you my story. Back when I was in grade 8, I owned 2 cats: Black and White - I called them, though none of them was totally black or white. If you a cat owner in Vietnam, especially in Saigon, you probably know how I lost my cats already. While people are trying to save dogs from China’s Yulin dog eating festival. Here in Vietnam, people (not all) eat cat meat. And if there are people who want to eat it, there are people who are willing to steal cats from others for their own good. One day you wake up and you call your cat, like you do every morning, no response. Then you try to think positively “Maybe he’s just chilling on the roof”. 6:00 P.M you return home from work and start to call your cat, again. No response. BAM! You know what that means: They stole it.

That was exactly my case. Black was stolen on Friday, 13 December 2013. White was stolen 6 days later. And I had grieved for weeks. I was afraid to be left home alone, because it was too empty and lonely without my cats. I cried myself to sleep, tried to believe in the fancy that they would come back tomorrow - which never came true.

Patient enough to make it here, I really have to thank you. And I guess by now you’re probably thinking something like “But hold up! Why you’re telling us about your cats? Are you even serious about this? Is this in any way related to the title?” Well, if you think I’m telling you all this because I run out things to say… shit, that’s partly true. But however, it’s not, duh. The main reason why I want to share this with you is because after losing my cats and all those crying and grieving bla bla. I finally realized that I have to let them go. And I did it.

Letting people go. It is like a task that everybody has to do in their life, whether you like it or not, sorry - you will constantly have to say goodbye to good people (or cats, in my case, lol). So, the question is: “How do I let someone go?”.

It’s true that we all have chapters in our lives. And people will come and go in those chapters. That means you shouldn’t expect to be able to keep someone with you forever. And of course I know it’s not always easy, we’re talking about loved ones that passed away, past lovers, exes, good friends that are now sour bitter,...

But you know what they say, there’s always a “good” in “goodbye”. You need to realize that everybody makes parts in your life the way it needs to be done. That’s what you really need to appreciate because isn’t that what makes you who you are today?

And for anyone out there who’s still struggling with this. You can cry, you can be angry, you can be sad or whatsoever, as much as you want, but remember that this is your life and you’ve got to to keep on moving.

However it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to forget completely about them and try to get your hands full with work. Because, first of all, I don’t think that’s good for your health, right? Secondly, you don’t have to cut them out of your life like that, that’s just impossible. Personally, I still, occasionally, think about my cats, my friends,.. but in a different way, I accept that they’re gone and all I have left are memories, beautiful memories - that built me who I am today, and I am so grateful for that.

And now I officially run out of things to write. So, in conclusion: Remember those 3 tips on how to let people go: Appreciate, Accept and Do not force yourself to forget anyone or to work like a crazy person.

Hopefully, this helps… Anyway. Thank you for listening to me rambling. MDR, LOL!!! Oh, and Merry Christmas everybody!