Sunday, August 6, 2017

Look Back Without Staring


Does your past haunt you?  Maybe you're staring at ghosts.  Perhaps the skeletons in your closet are rattling you.  I like to think of my past as a rear view mirror.  As long as I use the rear view mirror for an occasional glance when I need a reminder about how I dealt with a difficult situation while keeping my eyes focused on what lies ahead, I can avoid living in the past.

If you find yourself staring at a past memory, ask yourself why.  Find the lesson and learn so you can move forward.  I'll give you an example from my personal life.  Someone close to me hurt me deeply and this caused some terrible pain.  The hurts turned into grudges.  The grudges weighed so much  I couldn't move forward.  I refused to turn around because I didn't want to relive the pain so I just kept looking forward, trying not to acknowledge what happened.  "The past is the past," I would tell my brain.  My body knew otherwise.  My body could feel weight, like an anchor attached to a slab of concrete.  It wasn't easy but I finally let go of the grudges.  It was the day I learned the meaning of forgiveness.  The past no longer had any power of me.  Every now and then I glance in the rear view mirror to make sure I'm not dragging anything along that might slow me down.  Give it a try.  Have a great day.

No comments: