My client said, "It's a very lovely guitar. I paid a lot of money for it. I took lessons for a year." There was a heaviness in her voice.
I asked her if she still played her guitar. She paused. Then with an even heavier voice she said, "No."
Then my client said, "I have a piano. My daughter and I both play it." Her voice was brighter and filled with energy.
I pointed out the contrast in her voice. I said that it was clear the piano was a part of her life. It made her feel good. She enjoyed using it. But she wasn't enjoying the guitar. The presence made her tired. There was a feeling of guilt in her voice that she wasn't using it.
She said, "But the guitar is gorgeous." There was still that heavy feeling in her voice.
I said there was no feeling of love and enjoyment about the guitar. It was mostly regret that it didn't work out. I said that it happens sometimes that we bring something into our life that just doesn't work out. It can be a thing, a person, or an activity. We hang on to it because we think we should be enjoying it. But we are better off being honest with ourselves that it just doesn't fit out lives.
My client realized that the guitar wasn't making her life a better place to be. It was actually causing her some pain. She decided to let it go.