Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash.

Let Go Of The Damn Pants

Sometimes, holding on to the past keeps us stuck there.

This is a a story about a pair of Red Pants. They came into my life when they eyed me (yes, they eyed me) from the clearance rack at Marshall’s (because #deals). We went out together for a couple of months, maybe even a year.

Once I got to college, however, things between us got a bit tricky. They didn’t complement me as well as they use to. I took to liking leggings much better. At least they still fit! Red Pants and I broke up. Needless to say, they were offended, but what can you do. I stuffed them in a box and didn’t look back.

Until a year ago.

On a gloomy weekend, I opened said box and there they were, faithful as they’d always been: Red Pants! I decided to give our relationship another shot. I slipped my beloved leggings off and tried to put Red Pants on. Emphasis on “tried”. About halfway up my thighs, they stopped moving. I’m pretty sure if they could’ve talked, it would’ve gone something like this, “for the love of clothes PLEASE STOP. Put us down. We’ve had enough!” No amount of squirming or jumping up and down would rekindle our relationship.

I took (what little was on) off and went to put them back in the box. But I stopped. Why was I holding on to Red Pants so much? They clearly didn’t fit me anymore. Why did I keep holding on to them in hopes that our relationship would work again? Am I not a different person than I was years ago? Maybe it was time to break up. For good this time.

What I’m trying to say is: I’ve put on muscle mass and fat mass since the time Red Pants and I were cool with each other. Even if I lost a good deal of fat mass, my booty is still bigger than it was back then and Red Pants don’t like to feel suffocated. And neither do I.

You see, the more we hold on to the past, the less we can focus on the present and the future. If we really want to move forward in our life, why do we keep looking back and holding ourselves to past (and no longer realistic -or desirable, for that matter) standards? Life is lived now. Our goals should reflect who we want to be in this moment, not who we have been in the past.

And on that note, I officially broke up with Red Pants. I dropped them off at a resale shop and haven’t looked back since. Farewell, my dearest.

My challenge for you: What are you still holding onto from your past? Is it helping or harming you? Might you be able to let go of it? To thank it and appreciate it for all that it has done for you, while realizing that it holds no bearing on your present and future?


Don’t be a stranger.

Like what you read? You can buy my 12-week self-paced mindset makeover course here and keep up with me on IG here.

Stephanie Rose Zoccatelli

Written by

Writer. Self-development and strength coach. World traveler. Craft beer and coffee lover. IG: @stephanierosezoccatelli

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