Hindsight is great foresight. We learn from our mistakes. You can't look back. If only I'd..... The past is a great foreteller of the future. All these phrases and sayings have been with humanity for a long time. If you are "long in the tooth", it means you are old or older and you have probably heard some or all of these "old saws" before.
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So my question to myself, or anyone else for that matter, is, "Does looking in the rear view mirror serve any real purpose?"
The recent past has given me pause to look backward more than I'd care to and I have found that all of this rear-view mirror looking has made me more than a little frustrated, angry, and discouraged. Obviously, no one has forced me to reflect backwards, so I only have myself to blame, but I wonder what I have accomplished besides vexing myself? Did I learn anything? Can anything be changed? Of course, nothing from the past can be changed, other than my feelings towards it. The greater question is, "Can anything be improved in the future by looking backwards?"
Absolutely. But....and yes, there is a but....what can I do as one person? This is the question I have now put before myself and I'm hoping that I will find at least one answer, if not more. The more I learn from the past, the more work I realize I have to do in the future to keep my perspective and purpose clear. All of this reflection and review searching somehow doesn't seem to make the future easier, only more work-filled.
Which brings me back to my favorite point, about which I write frequently: I miss having a dog. Having a dog enables one to think more clearly and love more dearly. Something about stroking that fur just brings everything into focus, including the past.
Ancora imparo
