Attachment Or Clinging?

 My favorite inspirational author (Anthony de Mello) considers attachment as one of the main human traits leading to unhappiness. Beside meaning a fastener that joins one thing to another, attachment also means a bond of affection that quite often takes an individual from a strong connection to whomever (or whatever) towards an excessive or exaggerate emotional tie. And this is a definite cause of unhappiness. I've recently heard of a famous actress whose marriage was ended by her much younger husband. For a long time, this lady has been admired for her beauty and praised for her acting skills. Now it seems that she is only talked about because of her extravagant behavior regarding her situation. She is portrayed as an object of pity and is even ridiculed because - it seems - she is trying to get her husband back at all costs, although he doesn't seem to want the same thing. I don't know if these facts (most probably gossip) are true or not. It doesn't actually matter. My point here is the reflection upon how sometime people don't want to accept an occurrence, keep holding, clinging on people, past events, memories, stuff that had an impact on their lives but which, nevertheless, are not available anymore. It is good to feel linked to and appreciate the presence in your environment of people you love, or even "things" such a house, heirlooms etc. But you should not allow this affection to become a cause of distress in your existence. The past is gone and you must overcome any feelings of loss you might experience. Remembering, yes. Clinging, no.