It’s an interesting experience when you unexpectedly stumble upon an old article from your past. It could be a photo that takes you back to a special time in your life, a memory box containing fragments of moments made with a particular person, a journal from years prior.
This morning I happened to come across an old planner I kept with me from three years ago when I was an undergrad. Going through the different appointments, obligations, and random quotes or ideas that were a part of my life at the time made me both laugh and think about how much things have changed since then.
It also made me realize that where I thought I’d be at twenty four years old when I was student is entirely different than I had imagined.
When we’re in the moment of our lives, the only thing that exists is that moment. We don’t usually think about the reality of change, most times we ‘re afraid of what it may bring regardless of its inevitability.
As much as we wish we had more power over our lives, things are always constantly in motion, moving and pushing forward so that we too will push ourselves further into different dimensions and elements of ourselves.
If things had gone the way that I had pictured them to three or four years ago, I would be living in California right now with a full time job writing for a magazine, possibly have published a book or two. Even now when I picture myself in the future I see a version of myself that has not yet come to fruition, but that I could visibly see myself turning into.
Whether you’re looking back or to the future, both are evidence of the ephemerality of time, of its ever-transitory nature.
They say, “we make plans and God laughs.” Life may not have turned out the way you had expected it to once upon a time, but regardless of where you are at, it is my belief that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
Wishing and dreaming of different circumstances will always be an element of living, because imagining different ideas for ourselves is a fun and beautiful thing. But also accepting and being happy about your life in the now, will probably bring you closer to your dreams than comparing where you wish you were to where you really are.
The past has a way of stirring up old feelings and desires; it brings the truth to the surface, giving us an opportunity to heal and move on.
My old black planner not only brought a smile to my face for the girl I once was, it was also a reminder that life is full of unexpected events, and even if things don’t go according to our plans, we’ll still turn out okay.
Life will always keep on moving, propelling us upward and forward into the manifestation of our dreams, leaving us surprised and bewildered at all the unexpected routes we took along the way to get to our current adventure.
