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Walking backward, looking forward
Is it all that easy to forget the past???
Date: 3/8/2009 2:42:46 PM ( 15 y ) ... viewed 1594 times Walking Backward, Looking Forward
By Monica Ricci on March 7, 2009 - 2:26pm in Get It Together
As I was walking through my neighborhood last week, I decided to turn around and walk a few of the gentle slopes backward. I sometimes do that because walking backward works different muscles in my legs and breaks the monotony of just walking. As I was making my trek up the street, I felt uncomfortable not being able to see where I was going. Even though I have very good hearing (dog hearing, some would say) and I knew I'd be able to hear an oncoming car, I still felt compelled to turn and look behind me (which was actually forward) just to be sure. And even though I looked once, I found myself turning around again and again on the same small stretch of street just to double and triple check. It seemed ridiculous that I didn't have enough faith to just face backward and walk without looking. What was wrong with me? I KNEW nothing was going to happen, but I just couldn't stop turning around. Then I got to thinking...
Nothing was wrong with me. It's just human nature to want to look in the direction you're going! Whether you're driving a car, bicycling or walking, you naturally want to face forward. It keeps you on course, and most of the time (if your vision is clear) you can see obstacles coming and avoid them. Facing forward, you can see and choose the straightest, most direct path, and you're able to step over small holes and rocks in your way. It's just plain HARD to to move confidently in one direction while you're looking in the other direction. This might explain why so many people have such a hard time staying focused, on task, and moving forward through their lives. Could it be because they spend more time looking backward into the past than being here in the present? Looking backward, dwelling on the past, having regrets, holding grudges and resentments, and second-guessing past decisions isn't productive. In short, these people are living today, but are so pre-occupied and consumed by the past that their lives can't possibly be moving in a direction they'd like, because they're almost asleep at the wheel of life.
We all reflect on the past -- it's important to remember where you came from so you can learn from your mistakes and appreciate your roots. The past can teach you, good memories are fond to revisit, and your past has in large part, shaped who you are today, so it's great to go there once in a while. But don't let your past rule your present. Don't allow your past to intrude on your present and keep you from living the life you want to live TODAY.
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