The Art of Letting Go: The Courage to Release What No Longer Serves

Should I be letting go? It's a question I've asked myself countless times since my Stage IV cancer diagnosis. There's wisdom in surrender, yes. But there's also danger in letting go too soon—or for the wrong reasons. Sometimes letting go is liberation. Sometimes it's avoidance dressed as acceptance.

I've just published a deeply personal essay on my Substack called "The Art of Letting Go." In this piece, I explore how release isn't a single moment of surrender, but layers of quiet acceptance that arrive like fog—until the familiar shapes of your life have softened or disappeared altogether.

I've let go of timelines, identities, and outcomes I once fought hard to protect. First, time itself—the five-year plan became a season, then a month, then simply today. The strength, at least the kind that pushes through pain and never needs help. Finally, the deepest letting go: of who I thought I was supposed to be—the provider, the fixer, the one with all the answers.

But not everything can—or should—be released. You can't let go of something you haven't fully acknowledged. And I've found something unexpected in that space where the roadmap fell apart: peace. Not the postcard kind, but the kind that lives in the breath.

For anyone holding too tightly to control, to old versions of themselves, or to futures that may never come, this reflection explores the delicate balance between surrender and strength.

I invite you to read the full piece on my Substack, “The Edge of Now,” where I share what I've learned about releasing what no longer serves while holding onto what still matters.

Sometimes letting go is the most courageous thing we can do.

You can find it at: The Art of Letting Go. 

— Thom