That’s what a man told this story recently

In the early years of our lives, we’re constantly adding.

We collect experiences, skills, relationships, ideas.

We’re told to gain, grow, accumulate.

But at some point… we start to feel something.

“This doesn’t feel like me.”

“That doesn’t sit right.”

It’s easy to ignore those quiet signals.

But if you listen closely — those are the turning points.

Life isn’t just about adding.

It’s about learning what to subtract.

Too many people keep adding for too long.

And by the time they look around,

they’ve lost sight of what actually matters.

Not because they never had it.

But because it got buried.

That’s why we need subtraction.

To gently remove what doesn’t fit.

To lovingly care for what remains.

That’s where richness comes from — not in the fullness,

but in the space between.

He remember visiting his mentor’s home.

Almost no furniture.

But every single item was clean, cared for, and clearly loved.

Even the silence felt full.

Before He left, he said this:

“Human relationships are the same.

Are you letting go of the wrong ones?

Are you holding the right ones close?”

It hit me.

Deeply.