Living In The Past

Hello Readers,

Do you spend a lot of time reminiscing about the past? Thinking fondly of the past and looking back at the way things used to be isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes we love to look back at old photographs, memorabilia, re runs of old movies, the list is endless. However, there is a huge difference between thinking about the past and living in it. Some people choose to ‘live in the past’ because its familiar. They know everything that happened. There are no surprises. I am sure many of you know of people whose conversation always gravitates to times in their past. They repeat the same old stories over and over again to the point of driving their audiences to distraction. They will bend anyone’s ear they can going on and on over old ground, even about people they no longer speak to because of family feuds, grievances, rows, arguments, rifts and yet refuse to even attempt to mend those bridges, offer an olive branch or take any kind of positive, constructive action to rectify a situation for fear of losing face. They are also far too bothered about the opinion of others because they always have to be ‘Right’. They cannot bear to be seen to stand down or show humility, because they see these emotions as ‘weakness’. They choose to ‘cut off their nose to spite their face’ . At this point, take note, these people are also not terribly interested in what is going on in your world either because they need to be centre stage and its all about ‘them’.

Living in the past is a problem because it deprives you of the opportunity to enjoy the ‘present’, and if you are not enjoying living in the present, in the here and now, living in the past wont help you one jot either! Living in the past allows you to avoid dealing with issues in the present. Just think about it, its far easier to reminisce about a past sweetheart then it is to deal with troubles you may be experiencing in your own personal relationships.
While some people live in the past because they don’t want to deal with the present and all its challenges, others live in the past for fear of what may come in the future. We all know that the future is fraught with uncertainty. Daily we ask questions about ‘what will happen to us, our families, our jobs, our finances? One of the scariest things to contemplate is ‘what if our best days are behind us?’ Or, ‘What if nothing in the future will ever feel as good as what happened in the past?’

What I always do is take stock of all the good things that I have in my life. Make a list and you will surprise yourself of all they wonderful things that you have got going for you. The future looks a lot less frightening if you set yourself goals and dates in your diary to meet up with friends, start that new hobby or business venture, do some voluntary work or anything that distracts you from constantly regurgitating the past and setting yourself up for disappointment, because that is all you will get if you don’t shake your feathers and take personal responsibility for your life.

Treat each day, every encounter, on its own merits. No room for emotional hangovers. There is nothing any of us can say or do that will change the past. In the end, you just have to crack on and get on with things. What happened yesterday, happened yesterday, its not happening today and it may not happen tomorrow either, so there is nothing to be gained in speculating of what might or might not happen. If something is going to happen, its going to happen. Deal with situations one by one as they come along. Often things are nowhere near as bad as you imagine and even if they are, there is always someone not too far away who will be only too happy to help you out. You will be amazed at how many kind generous people there are out there, I meet them all the time.

Everything that you refuse to forgive in yourself and others remains with you as negative karmic baggage. Whatever your circumstances, it is far better to forgive and move on than to be emotionally shackled to a person or situation that has caused you pain.

Perhaps its time to pull the dust sheets over the furniture and close the door on the past.

Until Next Week

Love and Light,

Linda and The Lulas xxx