Letting Go

How do we let go of a lifetime of achievement?

Jody Lynn McBrien
Modern Women
Published in
7 min readSep 2, 2023

--

Moving out of a space of intense and successful professional work is not a question I thought of asking myself. And then, all of a sudden, there it was. And I have not been prepared for it. Not remotely, even though I have been downsizing over the past few years. And so, as this understanding, knowing that I will retire soon, is not new, my thoughts about it and what it means are always changing.

Today I spent four hours clearing out 20 years of a successful career from my university office — ditching 100+ books I’ve owned for decades, trashing beautifully adorned certificates and accolades for accomplishments as a well-known refugee researcher, throwing away sentimental thank-you notes from students and faculty for all kinds of work that, for me, were just part of the job.

I’ve been culling the stash for several years. So when it came to giving up my office today, after throwing away most of the items that had managed to stay in the “keep” pile for so long, I was able to put what remained into four boxes in my little Prius C, along with five framed pieces I just couldn’t part with.

Arriving home, I tossed another handful of treasured books and more framed certificates to make everything fit in my home office.

--

--

Jody Lynn McBrien
Modern Women

Currently living between Paris and Florida, I explore social justice, expat & sr. life. Writer for Digital Global Traveler, Modern Women, Crow's Feet, and more.