When we make peace with the past, the future holds promise. The absence of peace – generally some sort of regret – can blind, rob, and impair us to such an extent that we become unable to become the people we’re supposed to be.
When I find myself distracted by worries about the past, I need to try to recall the countless times when I realized that nobody else really cares about the thing I’ve been obsessing about. My worries were often unfounded and only served to steal my peace from me.
What should be obvious about the past (but isn’t always to me) is that worrying about it won’t change it. It’s over, let’s move on! And if there are regrets about the past, let’s borrow some ancient wisdom, reiterated as sober wisdom from Alcoholics Anonymous and make amends where we can. It has been in situations like this, when I have sought to apologize to people I may have offended in the past, that I have learned that they often were completely unaware of the offense I thought I committed. (Ha! See? I told you our worries were often groundless!)
Don’t let the baggage from your past keep you from realizing your destiny. Take a deep breath, clean up what you can, and let go of the rest. Tomorrow, it’ll be even less worth worrying about than it is today. Let’s get on with today and making it awesome!
Note about the photo: That gorgeous morning glory, decorated with morning dew, greeted me in my garden one day. My mind had been filled with worries about the past. But in the silence of the morning and the peace of my garden, the beauty summoned all of my attention to that present moment. Nature has the power to bring us back to “here and now.” Please treat yourself, as soon as you can, and spend some time enjoying nature.
