Would you go back to a different point in your life? Would you change any of the decisions that you made? Is it helpful to even ask these questions?
I suppose that by reflecting on the past it somehow brings you into the present. That may sound strange, but think about it, when you try to answer the questions you are comparing them to where you are now. The present is your reference point. And, they say that everything that we have lived through and experienced helps to form the you that you are today. We remember the past with joy, we remember it with sorrow, we wish that some times would have lasted longer and when going through some others, they seemed like eternity. Some we remember vividly, others in a fog.
I think that I am content with where I am at the moment. Certainly I miss things and people that were previously in my life and are no longer. I know that I have missed opportunities, could have been kinder at times, and should have reached out a bit more. I have some regrets, those I hold close to my heart. I’ve read that life is like a tapestry and that all of what we have lived so far are the threads that are woven together to make our unique pattern. Peace in the present, gratitude for the past, hope for the future.
Andie,
This is such a powerful reflection… I have wondered the same a few times. Sometimes I do want to go back in time and make different decision … Sometimes I am just grateful for all what I have gone through and learned in life, not without challenges.
I always ended up opting for the latest one. I am happy now, and somehow things happened for a reason.
Thanks for stopping by, and for your lovely comment. Much appreciated.
Doris
I believe that too, that we are a compilation of all our past experiences. If I were to do it all over again, there are definitely things I would do differently. I think. But maybe not, because I love where I’m at now and my past brought me to this point. Such is life, we live and learn as we go.
Sure. Lots of things I would change. But it is a great comfort to me to know God can take all the evil I have done — like my abortion about which I have spoken on a number of occassions — and somehow, supernaturally, use it for good. The principles behind Romans 8:28 and Genesis 50:20 come immediately to mind. We serve a God beyond our infinitismal understanding. For that, I am very grateful as well.
I’ve often tormented myself with all the “it might have beens” but in the end, I realize I’m where I am and whatever road I took early on, I’d still be me – same issues, maybe different venues.
I only have to look at my children to be content.
Great post Andie, sometimes as I reflect
I regret words said in anger,
I regret bad decisions I made,
I regret pain I endured but would I go back if I could?
I don’t think so because then I wouldn’t be me.