Ahh yea...the whispers, those subtle reminders mostly unseen, just beyond our realm and our sight...at times fleetingly caught in a sunbeam of this mind's eye.
I guess I find no surprise in the fact that I am intrigued and interested in things that have happened in the past: History. I have always liked reading history and discussing it...it has always had quite an attraction and pull on me.I have always believed that we can learn a lot about ourselves and our future by taking a good long look at our past. Now that is much different of course then a person who is living in the past, never wanting to move forward or change. That can be quite unhealthy and frankly quite destructive. But it's important to learn from our mistakes and our successes to better help us live in the present.
I've been pretty open about the fact that there was a time once where I strongly believed that I had actually lived a life before this one. I still have some mixed and confused thoughts and emotions about that situation. I have chosen to just leave it lie for the time being.
But the reason I mention it is that I am very much in tune with my past and how it has affected me. I often use what has happened to me already as a way of preparing myself for the future. I think it just makes sense to learn whatever lessons we can from the experiences that we have already had. Those lessons are essentially free...we already paid for them really. It would be wasteful to ignore what we have already experienced....to me it's a no brainer but some folks ignore their past experiences...therefore I think they are at risk to repeat those same experiences AND mistakes again.
I think things do happen for a reason and the greatest classroom of all is life itself. I would hate to think I have endured some of the terrible heartache and pain that I have only to have to repeat it once more because I didn't learn anything from my experiences the first time around. That's just my way of looking at it I suppose but I find that it works for me...
So the emphasis I place on history and appreciation for the past in my life today is both a personal and artistic interest that can benefit me in a multitude of ways, in addition to being somewhat of a hobby as well.
Not sure why this notion about the past occurred to me so forcefully this morning other then I think the time I spend at the nursing home on Saturday mornings enhances my natural appreciation and passion for it. I connect to the residents of the nursing home on many different levels but certainly we have a shared interest in things from the past. Several of the residents are in their late 90's with a couple of them over a 100 years old. That alone fascinates me but they were truly born in a different world then the one we have today...
Several of us often have a reoccurring discussion about those simpler times before TV, the Internet, etc. etc. Often discussing the Depression and the Second World War''s affect on their childhood and their family. It's funny though, most of them, even those who are the oldest of the group truly embrace the present though. They just enjoy the fact I think that someone from a younger generation has an interest in those times when they were young...
So I'll now bring this journey into the relevance of the past to a close. Hey, it's Saturday in the Fall...College Football is on! See ya later...
