If you are anything like me, events from the past can sometimes loom quite large. And my attention and emotional energy can spin in regret; my monkey mind can get stuck in a world of “should have’s” and “if only’s.”
Maybe it’s a big mistake we made or a significant opportunity we let slip from our grasp.
Perhaps it’s the trauma from our childhood getting triggered, losing a job or important relationship, or any number of times we didn’t show up as our best selves for the people we care about.
It could be resentments we still hold on to that prevent us from extending love unconditionally, or simply being at peace with what is, rather than being trapped by what was.
Other times we cling to and can’t let go of a memory of good times that somehow drifted away or were quashed by forces beyond our control.
The past is here to teach us in the present moment. But we should not give it any more power than it deserves. It is only as big as we allow it to be.
Our journey is not made easier by carrying around the heavy rocks of resentment in our backpacks or engaging in endless battles with things we cannot change.
As Haruki Murakami famously observed, “pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
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I got here as fast as I could 