Watch Where You’re Going!
If reminiscing were a paid pastime, I would probably be a very rich man. I have a great fondness for history, although my early school grades would probably make you think otherwise. I love hearing tales of long ago, the history behind the history, and rummaging through antique shops to get my hands on a piece of said history. For me, it’s not just dull, lifeless dates of a bygone era, but miniature time capsules that played a part in forming the world we know today.
For example, take today’s date and surrounding dates. June 9 in A.D. 78 Emperor Nero, after pretty much causing the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire, committed suicide. James Oglethorpe gets the royal stamp of approval to start the colony of Georgia on the same date in 1732. And in 1934 “The Wise Little Hen” was shown in theatres which was the very first time the American nation ever saw Donald Duck!
June 12, 1939, saw the opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The same date in 1987 heard the famous line uttered by then President Ronald Reagan, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Oh, and in case you had the idea for a cheap travel plan for the kids to visit the grandparents on the other side of the country, it was on June 13, 1920, that the U.S. Post Office ruled that you can no longer send children by mail. You deduced correctly. Prior to 1920, people would actually place stamps on their kids and hand them over to the postman to deliver all over the country.
Yes, I love to reminisce. There’s nothing wrong with learning, knowing, and appreciating history. However, for many people (I know a few), looking back isn’t just a pleasant distraction but it’s a constant way of life. Instead of looking back to appreciate history, they’re always tapping into their memories and languishing at what was and what might have been. You can spend so much time in the past that you ignore the present and can derail your future.
To quote Rascal Flatts, “life is a highway.” In order to successfully navigate all the turns, twists, traffic, and tumultuous times, it’s important to keep your eyes on the road in FRONT of you. You can always glance back in the rearview now and then, but don’t spend so much time wondering “what if I had only…” and focus more on “what I’m going to do…”
Failures and/or regrets in life shouldn’t be dwelled upon, but they SHOULD be taken as lessons learned and the reasons for future successes. We’ve been given one life on this earth, whether it be 90 years or much less. Hands on the wheel at ten o’clock and two o’clock, as they used to teach you in driving school. Foot on the gas pedal. Pop that gear into Drive and always move forward.
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