Ever have those times when you recall a memory of a time or a place or an event, maybe it’s brought on by a song, or a line in a movie, or just by something you overhear in a diner, and that “trigger” leads to a “place” you haven’t visited in awhile. Sometimes it’s a place that you smile fondly at when you remember back to that time – whether it was having ice cream on a summer afternoon with friends, taking a hike up a hill with a pal, or even just having a long chat with a buddy you hadn’t seen in a long time – and in that flash of that particular moment, you feel happy. You let that scene play out in front of you, and are content.But what about those other times, those few seconds that seem to last an eternity, when you start to think back to an evening or perhaps an encounter where in a mere moment, you said something or did something that changed the course of your future in a most unpleasant way. And, when you are brought back to that spot, to that situation, you replay it over and over again, not because you want to, but because you can’t seem to get it out of your head. Because in that instant you just wish you could go back, and do or say something different, something that will inexplicably “fix” whatever error you made, signal you sent forward, message you conveyed, that messed up the course of that friendship, that relationship, forever.
Anyone else know what I’m talking about?
Oh yes. This must be why you and I are such good friends...we share so many experiences. But over time I've learned that, in the big picture, there usually is a reason for what we say and do. That relationship, that situation, that you "messed up" wasn't meant to last. Rule #1 of my life now is, be yourself, even when it hurts.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! It is important to be yourself. I agree 100%. It's just, lately, I've been surprised by my reactions to certain situations and contemplating how I might, in the future, handle things a bit differently.
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