Starting Over:Theme From RED

"That's your only way out...wrecking who you once were and rebuilding yourself from scratch."-Mason Taylor (RED)

Starting over is hard but sometimes it's the only option we have. The only thing harder than starting over is staying where we are because it eventually will tear us to shreds. Last week I spoke about forgiveness and how important it is to forgive others and yourself. Well, after you forgive you need to learn to move on because that doesn't happen on its own. Starting over is another major theme from my upcoming novel, RED and it's a topic that needs to be discussed almost everyday. Each moment that goes by consists of someone trying to hit the reset button. 

The characters in RED are both beautiful and flawed. This is what makes them so realistic. The main character, Peyton is on a journey to find herself and make a better life. She hits tons of bumps in the road (some she caused, others not so much) and there comes a time in the book where she needs help with becoming someone new. When asking Mason what should she do, he gives her the quote above. This is one of my favorite quotes from the book because it's some of the greatest advice anyone can give. We can't get out of our situations if we're not willing o wreck a few things.

Wrecking things may mean killing your bad habits, letting some people go, or moving to a different zip code. At some point we all have to wreck ourselves or the things around us in order to truly let go. There's no such thing as truly starting over unless you wreck something. You can't build a new home without tearing something down.

It may seem counterintuitive to talk about destroying something if you want to start fresh with a clean slate but sometimes you have to get messy before you can clean up. This is something Peyton, Adalyn, and Mason have to learn for themselves. All three characters are caught in very different situations but they all must learn the same lesson. It's a lot like life. we all have different journeys and issues but most of the time we're all learning the same lessons. Life has a funny way of teaching that way. 

After you're completely wrecked the only other option you have is to start over and rebuild. It's almost like hitting rock bottom; the only place you have left to go is up. This is why the wrecking phase is so important. You can't build over a cracked foundation...life is no different. 

Take Mason's advice and call the construction crew; tell them to bring the wrecking ball because you need to start over. Once the walls are down and the debris is clear, start cleaning up and rebuilding. Once you begin to start over you'll learn to find yourself. You can't truly find out who you are with years old mess surrounding you. You know what? Finding yourself sounds like a great topic for next week! 

In the meantime, here's a song all about feeling stuck and trying to start over: