These past few weeks I’ve been attuned to a variety of events all pointing to an inevitable shift—seasonally, astrologically, psychically… After a season of turning inward, of loosening our grip on what no longer serves, there’s a subtle but unmistakable change.

And yet, if I’m honest, the letting go isn’t quite finished.

Over these past months, personally and in my mindfulness teachings, I’ve been working with the idea of releasing—attachments, assumptions, attitudes. Some have fallen away with surprising ease. Others… not so much.

Some things we release have already separated from us. We are just now noticing. Those are easier to let go. Others we struggle with—loosening, adjusting, reshaping, holding them differently as we learn, slowly, how to open our hands.

This week, I found myself struggling with letting go of a beloved grey cashmere hoodie I’ve had for years—an old and trusted friend. I could reach for it to look casually put together, to add a layer of warmth on dog walks, or even to throw over pajamas for an early morning call. That’s a good friend.

Over the years, it’s softened and thinned in places, aging as our good friends do. I’ve repaired it carefully—small holes mended here and there, keeping it as intact as I can. But recently, I’ve noticed more. Both elbows worn through. New holes appearing faster than I can fix them.

So this weekend, I did something I hadn’t quite expected.

Not ready to say goodbye, I cut off the sleeves. I could no longer deny my friend is changing. I’m changing. And our relationship may be changing too. Maybe I’ll wear it a bit longer in this new form. Maybe this is just a step in the longer process of letting go of a dear companion that has served and supported me in good times and bad.

Much of this season has felt like that. Some easy endings. Some reluctant transformations.

Now, standing at the precipice of spring, I feel the quest beginning to shift. If Q1 has been about what we are ready to let go of, perhaps Q2 is about choosing what we want to carry forward?

Choosing what we take with us—not by default, not out of habit, but with intention. (And maybe that includes the essence or memory of what’s most meaningful.)

The shift invites us to explore: