The Mismatched Boots: A Lesson in Letting Go
- Dr. Jude Black
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
Let me paint a picture: I’m in my closet, sorting through the chaos (read: procrastinating), when I stumble across a pair of boots. Not just any boots—the boots. The ones that have quietly carried a strange little story for the past five years.
Five years ago, I bought a pair of duck boots. Same brand. Same size. Same day. Everything about them matched… until they didn’t.
Somehow—somewhere—I ended up with one boot that wasn’t mine. One was clearly older, more broken in, looser around the ankle. Not “off” in an obvious way, but just enough to feel it every time I wore them. Like something in my world had quietly shifted without my permission.
And the strangest part?
I have no idea when or how it happened. No big move. No dramatic mix-up. Just one day—poof—I had someone else’s boot.
When Life Doesn’t Add Up
I did what any of us might do with a mismatch:
🔄 I tried to fix it. I asked friends, posted online, checked every corner of the house.
⏳ Then I let it sit. For years. Waiting, wondering, occasionally laughing at how bizarre it was.✌️ And this week? I finally chose to let it go.
Not because I had an answer.Not because the mystery resolved.But because it was time.
The Power of Letting Go
We all have a version of those boots.
Maybe it’s a relationship that no longer fits but is too familiar to release.Maybe it’s a role we’ve outgrown, or an old belief that used to protect us but now holds us back.Maybe it’s grief, or guilt, or the nagging feeling that something in life just isn’t “ours” anymore.
And in these moments, we often have three choices:
Change it. Do the work to shift it, fix it, or reframe it.
Let it sit. Wait, watch, let it breathe.
Let it go. Not in anger. Not in defeat. But in quiet strength and clarity.
Letting go is not weakness. It’s not failure. It’s not avoidance.
Letting go is wisdom in motion.
It’s recognizing that not every puzzle needs solving.Not every shoe needs to be worn until it falls apart.Not every “why” deserves to take up space in your story.
A Therapist’s Closet Moment
So yes—I let the boots go. Not because I found the answer, but because I found peace without one. And in doing that, I was reminded of something we tell our clients often:
Sometimes healing doesn’t come from finding the missing piece.Sometimes it comes from deciding to stop searching for it.
Your Turn
Is there something in your life that no longer fits?
A commitment you’ve outgrown?A belief you’re ready to shed?A mystery that’s costing more energy than it’s worth?
Here’s your permission to choose:
✨ Change it.
⏳ Let it sit.
✌️ Let it go.
Be you. Do you. The rest will follow.
Even if your boots never match again.
Need help navigating what to keep and what to release? That’s what we’re here for. Whether it’s processing a tough transition or simply making sense of life’s weird little messes, you don’t have to do it alone.
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