Enchiridion 11: Give Up, Let Go

"Never say of anything, 'I have lost it;' but, 'I have restored it.' Has your child died? It is restored. Has your wife died? She is restored. Has your estate been taken away? That likewise is restored. 'But it was a bad man who took it.' What is it to you by whose hands he who gave it has demanded it again? While he permits you to possess it, hold it as something not your own; as do travelers at an inn." (Epictetus, Enchiridion 11)

All you have, including life itself, is on loan. You are a traveler who borrows a bed for a while before going on your way. Every person and every thing you enjoy comes and goes. 

The word translated "restored" (ἀποδίδωμι, "apodidomi" a compound word of: ἀπο (apo)--"from, away from"; and δίδωμι (didomi)-- "give") is also translated as: give away, give up, give out, give back, repay, pay out (such as taxes), render, reward. It also includes the idea of fulfilling a duty. A handful of uses render the word as "sell." 

Think of it this way: when traveling, you leave the hotel behind with no second thought. You stay for while, then leave. The hotel manager gladly receives you at check in, but how does he view your going? You come, you go.

When students enter a school or university, it is understood that they will go. They graduate, we let them go. A family member dies, we let them go. Property is taken away by fire, flood, filchery or failure to pay--you give what you have. Let it go. For everything that replaces what was taken, that will go too until it's your turn to go. 

Whatever is "in your hand,"
hold on loosely.