Day 208: The Past

When I was younger, I'd hear stories about my mom's childhood. She would tell us about her friends, dating, her parents, siblings, who dated who, who liked who... etc.

My family and I visited Armenia a few years ago... my parents wanted my sister and I to see the place where we grew up. We went back to our apartment building, and my mom and a neighbor/friend of hers, who had been escorting us around, sat on this bench, right outside the building, together. They both sat there and closed their eyes as my sister and I just looked at them wondering what it was they were remembering. We couldn't understand what it was they were feeling because we hadn't been there 25 years previous. They just sat there as their eyes filled with tears... My mom's past was never as interesting to me as it is now...

These days, being at my age, I experience the difference between being an adult and having been a child. Now, I remember my childhood friends, dating, who dated who, etc... Now, I understand what it's like to have a past...

Having a past can hurt us sometimes, but, a past is what has brought us here. We wouldn't be here without it. All the experiences, people, places... they've all had a role in building us. They say pasts come back to haunt us, but I think our pasts come back to remind us where we've been and who we are...

I sit here, at 2AM, in front of the laptop trying to concentrate on putting my words together to try to explain my deepest feelings about my past to you, but, I'm failing to do so. The truth is, I have a past... a past full of life and experience and it's bound to show up one day... And, when it does, I will live in the moment and be happy about where I am today and how far I've come.

Tip of the Day: Treasure your past, no matter what it consists of... it's all that you are.