The Art of Letting Go
Now I’m living the week of departure. Very soon it will be time to let go of this life of mine in Bali. Ahead lies a new adventure, a new kind of life. Letting go feels sad, but right. I know that this is exactly the right time to move forward. I love, and will always love, this beautiful little island — it isn’t going anywhere. Now is the right time to go home, I feel it very strongly.
Letting go is so bittersweet when you know what you’re leaving behind but still want to believe in something better ahead. It’s always a wondrous in-between stage when you know great changes are right around the corner, yet you don’t fully know what awaits. It’s learning once again to live in the moment, even when the mind clings to the life lived here and is at the same time already rushing toward the future life in Finland. A constant returning to this moment, to this liminal space where I am right now. The time is almost here, but for now, I am still here.
I believe it’s a valuable skill to know how to let go when the time is right. To let go at the right moment — not too early and not too late. I am a very analytical person and I process things in my mind a lot; sometimes overthinking even takes over. But deep inside I know when it’s time to let go. I feel it in my soul, in my heart, in my body. Sometimes I want to push those feelings aside, because the mind isn’t yet ready for change. But I’ve fortunately learned the hard way that the longer I silence that inner voice, the louder it becomes, and the more difficult the process of change often gets. I’ve learned to honour that gentle voice of the soul and heart, giving it space to be heard and seen.
This letting go, however, brings me a whole new kind of freedom to build my life in an entirely new way. I get to begin a completely new life in Finland — one I’ve never before had the chance to live in my home country.
I’m ridiculously excited about moving to Tampere. I feel so strongly that it’s where I’m meant to be. I can’t even explain it; I just feel it so deeply in my body. I’ve always lived in the Helsinki metropolitan area and lived a performance-driven life guided by constant busyness and a sense of never being enough. Office work, a calendar always full, pushing through, burning out. Now I get to choose differently — and I will. This choice feels right and liberating.
This letting go also opens up new, exciting opportunities for me in my work life, which I’m especially excited about. New job possibilities and connections are waiting for me at home. I want to work with wonderful, inspiring people, doing the kind of work that lights up my heart. To work in Finland with the things that make me feel at home.
Letting go of my life in Bali also gives me the chance to once again live close to my family and friends. This feels especially right. Living abroad has had many beautiful sides, but it has always meant being far from my people. There has been more than 10,000 kilometers between us — quite a distance. Now I get to be physically present again at all the celebrations and important moments. I get to spend the holidays with my favourite people. All of this makes my big decision easier.
Letting go means leaving behind a wonderful island that I’ve been lucky enough to call home. A very special island, also called the Island of the Gods — and not without reason. This island has an utterly unique energy. Mama Bali called me here for good reasons, and she will wait for my return for as long as needed. I leave behind an eternal summer and the lifestyle it allowed. I leave behind people, places, memories, another home — all of it, always in my heart.
Letting go feels like so much is being left behind, yet even more is opening ahead of me. <3