Letting Go

A couple weeks ago G and I offered in-person moral support to P, who relocated from Novi, MI to Canton, MI to shorten his work commute. Thankfully all the heavy lifting was done by hired young men. P knows me well, so he left the kitchen packing and unpacking to this mom. Offering that sort of help brought great joy. P, being our youngest is the last of the SlackCrew to leave the nest. The letting go has been in stages, starting all the way back to his first day of Kindergarten. The rest of the school years became routine, but I do remember clearly the day we moved him into his Cary Quad Dorm room, and then the move to Novi, MI upon graduating from Purdue and securing a job in the middle of the Covid pandemic. Lots of letting go, bit by bit. A natural process, but still comes with its challenges. Some things are difficult to let go of, even when it’s the right thing to do.

G and I timed our arrival to Novi to allow time to explore Maybury State Park before connecting with P after his workday. The state park sits just outside of Detroit in this suburb, but when deep within the 1000 acre day-use park hiking along the trails one doesn’t notice the busyness just a short walk away. In addition to wooded rolling trails and paved paths the park has equestrian trails that intersected with the trail we chose to hike. That provided for this unusual sight in the woods, but we didn’t cross paths with any horses.

Another unusual sight for us, but likely not an unusual sight in this park being located in Michigan, was the young man that circled the park on its perimeter paved paths on his roller skis for the entire time we were hiking.

As we hiked on this beautiful early fall afternoon, observing the leaves just beginning to change colors and drift to the paths below, I continued my reflection on the fresh season upon us. Most of the trees continued to hold tight to their green leaves, but some color was emerging, some leaves being released. It wouldn’t be long before the trees would let loose of their adornment, letting go when the time is right…making room for new growth. That’s the lesson I left the trails with; find the things that I hold too tight, let them go and make room for new growth. This time of year is full of images of literal and figurative pruning and shedding, cutting back and letting go.

Moving day ended with an after dinner sunset hike around the pond in Heritage Park. We spotted this killdeer busy along the shoreline and a muskrat hiding between the edges of a stream weaving through the park. P has many new places to explore as he settles into his new community.