Once upon a time, there was a Thing. You saw Thing in a Shop/Online, and your heart stopped.
"Ahhh," you whispered to yourself, "if only I could own Thing, I would be beautiful/happy/fulfilled/popular/fit/successful."
You gazed upon Thing.
Thing twinkled, Thing beckoned, Thing whispered your name. Enchanted, you paid up and your Home became Thing's Home.
Well, we both know what happened next... Thing failed to deliver.
Thing was a total schmo in that respect.
As a punishment to Thing, you shoved Thing aside.
And to punish yourself, you chose to keep Thing where you could see it.
So it could glare at you reproachfully.
So you could feel guilty for having made the mistake of spending Good Money on Thing.
So it could taunt you for not fitting into Thing any more. (Thing said very rude and cruel things to you on this topic which I will not repeat).
You also said to yourself - "One day, one of my kids will want Thing so I’d better hold onto Thing for their sake. And if one of my kids doesn’t want Thing, then one of my grandchildren will. For sure."
So you and Thing continued to live together.
As the years passed, the mutual resentment grew.
Thing was taking up too much space!
Thing was requiring maintenance and energy you didn’t have!
Thing stubbornly refused to photograph itself and post itself on a site for Second-Hand Things, and have Itself sold so that you could feel validated and compensated for your trouble.
Now choose an ending here:
A: Thing is still taking up precious space in your home. Unloved and unappreciated, unable to serve or give anyone else pleasure, Thing glowers at you from beneath a layer of dust.
B: Thing has been indefinitely sent to Thing-Siberia. This may be your boidem, machsan, the space under your bed, your garage, your expensive storage unit, your parents’ spare room. Thing now prevents you from easily finding and accessing items you need to store. Your relationship with Thing is at an all-time low.
C: You and Thing parted as friends, wished one another well and continued onwards, on your separate journeys.
So my friend, there are three morals of this story.
One: you’re human. You’re allowed to buy something and for it to turn out not to be useful nor especially lovable. Because, see, you’re allowed to make a mistake. Yes, you’re allowed! And everyone does it. In fact, I highly recommend that you make lots of mistakes because that means you’re out there in the world, giving it a go, and taking chances and not always playing it safe (which is often the biggest mistake of all).
Forgive yourself and move on.
Let Thing move on too.
Literally.
Two: Thing is just a thing.
Nothing more.
Just some thing that was destined to come into your life, to serve you in some way, perhaps even teach you a thing or two, and then move on. That’s all.
And lastly, three: you have within you magnificent potential.
You do not need to buy it.
No one can sell it to you because it’s already inside of you, waiting to be discovered, and encouraged, and given space and energy in your life.
Let go.
It’ll be such a relief.
Let go and move on.