Closing the Door So Another One Can Open: Letting Go With Love and Courage

There’s a saying you’ve probably heard a hundred times: “When one door closes, another one opens.” But what we don’t always talk about is how important it is to actually close the door behind us before we go charging through the next one. If we don't, we risk dragging the dust of yesterday into the clean air of tomorrow.

Letting go isn't always dramatic or loud. Sometimes it’s the quiet decision to stop checking your phone, to stop wondering what if, or to stop hoping someone will change. Sometimes, it’s lighting one last candle for the past, then gently blowing it out, knowing full well it’s not going to relight itself. And that’s okay. Some flames were never meant to burn forever — they were meant to teach us warmth, not permanence.

Cut the Cords, Not the Lessons

“Cutting cords” sounds a bit mystical, but all it really means is letting go of the emotional ties that still tug at you — especially the ones that hurt. It’s not about pretending something didn’t happen, or acting like you don’t care. It’s about releasing the emotional charge, the pull, the power it has over you. The memories can remain, but the pain doesn’t need to. And more importantly, the story you tell yourself about it can shift.

Whether it’s an ex, a friendship gone cold, a job that drained your soul, or even the version of yourself you’ve outgrown — you don’t have to carry it all with you. Cut the cords with compassion. Thank the past for its lessons. Then let it go.

Make Peace With the Past

It’s hard to walk forward when you’re always glancing over your shoulder. So many of us try to start a new chapter while still re-reading the last one, hoping for a better ending. The truth is, peace with the past doesn’t come from rewriting it — it comes from accepting it.

Maybe you weren’t treated fairly. Maybe you made mistakes. Maybe you didn’t get closure. But peace isn’t something someone else hands you — it’s something you give yourself. It starts with forgiving what you can’t change, and honouring who you were in the moments you had no better tools than the ones you used.

Don’t Pack Baggage for the Next Journey

Starting a new relationship — whether romantic, platonic or even professional — is like moving into a new home. You wouldn’t bring boxes full of broken plates and dusty old curtains and expect the place to feel fresh. So why bring emotional clutter?

That doesn’t mean you have to be healed and perfect before loving again. It just means being aware of what you’re carrying. Are you expecting someone new to fix what someone old broke? Are you building walls instead of bridges because someone hurt you once? A new beginning deserves new energy — not recycled pain.

The Door Won’t Close Itself

And finally, sometimes we wait for life to “do the closing” for us. We hope someone else will end things, say sorry, or give us that final push. But it’s okay — and often necessary — to close the door yourself. Gently, firmly, lovingly. You don’t have to slam it. But you do need to choose it.

Because that open door you’re dreaming of? It’s waiting. But it can’t swing open while you're still standing halfway in the last room, hoping someone will come back.

So blow out the candle. The wax has melted. The moment has passed. And you, my friend, have beautiful new light to walk toward.

Close the door. And then watch — just watch — how many new ones appear.

Love Anya P  xx