We all have them. The skeletons in our closets. The things we hide away, tucked in the dark corners of our minds or our lives, that we’d rather not face. They’re the mistakes, the regrets, the past failures, or even the things that simply feel too painful to revisit. Some of these skeletons are small, easily forgotten over time, while others may feel like heavy chains that drag us down every day.
I had an experience recently that made me reflect on these skeletons—and how they relate to our ability to move forward.
Wes brought home a new desk for me to set up my at-home office. It was the perfect desk for organizing my work and creating a productive environment. But when we began to place it, we discovered that the drawers were locked. Wes noticed it wasn’t an ordinary lock, but needed a skeleton key to open. Thanks to Amazon, we had a bundle of skeleton keys the next day, believing one of them would open the drawers and let me get started with my organization. Once they arrived, we tried them all—turning, twisting, hoping one would work—but none did.
In the end, the drawers stayed locked. But as I sat there, keys in hand, I couldn’t help but think about how those drawers and the keys symbolized something much deeper.
The drawers represent the parts of ourselves that we sometimes lock away—the skeletons we don't want to face. For many of us, these are the uncomfortable moments, the past choices, or the parts of our identity that we might not be proud of. Like those locked drawers, we sometimes try to push them out of sight, hiding them in hopes that they’ll stay locked forever.
But just because a door is locked doesn’t mean we can’t move forward.
The Skeletons Don’t Define You
We all have things we wish we could change about our past or aspects of ourselves that we wish we could simply “delete.” Maybe you’ve made decisions you regret, hurt people you care about, or missed opportunities that still linger in your mind. These moments are like those skeletons in a closet—hidden away, perhaps, but always there, lurking in the background.
However, I’ve learned that those skeletons don’t have to define who you are today. Just because a drawer is locked doesn’t mean it’s the end of the story. It doesn’t mean you’re stuck or that you can’t move forward.
Life is full of chances to unlock new paths, to create fresh starts, and to embrace the future. Yes, the past is a part of you, but it’s not the only thing that matters. Those mistakes, regrets, and struggles are like the skeleton keys on my desk—they may be part of the equation, but they’re not the answer to everything.
Letting Go and Moving On
After trying the keys and failing, I could have gotten mad. I could have sat there frustrated, unable to move forward because of something out of my control. But instead, I decided to step back and look at the bigger picture. The locked drawers weren’t going to stop me from enjoying my new desk or setting up my office the way I wanted.
In life, we often feel like we need to have everything figured out. We think we need to unlock every part of our past before we can move forward. But the truth is, sometimes it’s about finding peace with the fact that not every door needs to be opened right away. Sometimes, the key to moving forward is accepting that some things in your life might remain locked for a while—and that’s okay.
The real key to progress isn’t in trying to erase the past or unlock every hidden part of ourselves. It’s in learning how to keep moving forward, even when we have skeletons in our closets. It’s about understanding that while the past is a part of us, it doesn’t need to control our future.
Embracing the Future Despite the Past
As I sit at my new desk, with everything finally in place, I’m reminded of this lesson. The skeletons may still be there in the drawers of my life, but they don’t have the power to keep me from moving forward. They’re a part of my story, but they don’t define me. I’ve learned to live alongside them, to not let them be the thing that holds me back from creating the life I want today.
So, if you’re facing your own locked drawers—your own skeletons in the closet—remember that they don’t have to keep you from moving forward. You don’t need to unlock every past moment to create a meaningful, fulfilling future. The real power lies in your ability to keep going, to embrace what’s ahead, and to let go of the idea that you need to have everything figured out.
The keys may not always fit, but that doesn’t mean the door is closed forever. Keep moving forward, and trust that you have the strength to create a future that’s not defined by your past. After all, the skeletons in the closet may be part of the story, but they’re never the whole story.
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