One way

Have you ever found yourself wishing you could change something in the past?

A decision?

An action?

Something that happened to you?

We all have those moments where regret, shame, and what ifs haunt us.

The past is just that. The past.

It lurks in the rearview mirror, a reminder of what we wish would have been different.

Maybe you’re not like me. Maybe you don’t find yourself in moments where the past paralyzes you. I hope you don’t.

For those of us who do struggle with this, let me share what I continue to learn. There is only one way to healing. Being present in the now and moving towards the future.

Going the wrong way down a one way street will usually not end well. This is true in driving and in life. When we invest our energy in what ifs and should haves, we often miss what is right in front of us.

I still have a lot of work to do in this department and sometimes my regrets are the result of focusing on previous regrets. It can be an ongoing circle of self-destruction.

Yes, we must acknowledge the past.

Yes, we must learn from the past.

Yes, we must deal with the consequences from the past.

But none of these mean we need to dwell back there and try going the wrong way.

The only way forward is, well, forward. And turning back will only make the way forward even more difficult than it already is.