Putting the Bags Down

Sit down. Let your back rest against something if you can.

Take a breath in… and let it go.

Now imagine you’re standing at the bottom of a stairwell. Concrete steps. A handrail, cold under your fingers. The lift is broken again.

In your hands, there are bags. Heavy ones. Carrier bags that cut into your fingers.

Look at them for a moment. Each bag is something you’re carrying for someone else.

One of them might be a worry about a family member.

One might be a job you said yes to when you meant no.

One might be a friend’s problem you’ve been holding onto.

One might be money. One might be a memory.

Notice how many there are. Notice how heavy they are. You’ve been carrying these up and down the stairs for a long time.

Breathe in… and out.

Now start climbing. Slowly. One step at a time.

You reach the first landing. There’s a chair there. Somebody put it there for you.

Sit down on it.

Now put the first bag down on the floor beside you. Just one. Feel your fingers uncurl. Feel the blood come back into them.

Breathe in… and out.

Put another bag down. You’re not throwing it away. You’re just not holding it right now.

And another.

Notice how your shoulders feel. Your arms. Your chest.

Breathe in… and out.

Now picture someone coming down the stairs. Someone you trust. They stop. They look at the bags. And without asking, they pick one up.

“Which floor?” they say.

Let them take it. You don’t have to explain. You don’t have to say sorry. Just let them.

Breathe in… and out.

Sit on the chair a little longer. You can stay here as long as you need. The bags will still be there when you’re ready. Some of them, you might never need to pick up again.

When you’re ready, stand up. Take only what’s yours. Leave the rest on the landing.

Open your eyes.