The Past

I stayed up late last night watching "Kate & Leopold". Remember that movie? It's about time travel. After it was over I was laying in my bed thinking about human nature and our obsession with the past. We think of time in a linear form. The future is ahead and the past is behind. Like we are on a tightrope, instead of inside a wheel.

What is it about the past that is so fascinating to us? Countless movies and books have been written about the subject, people fantasize about "what ifs", and we surround ourselves with photos and memorabilia from our past.

What is it about the past that we are so connected to? Is it because of our regrets or mistakes? Is it because we feel that the knowledge we have now could have helped us succeed better in the past? Or could it be that we are all just dreamers, looking for an escape from our busy and hectic lives and the past is the closest place our minds have to wander?

I find myself on this tightrope quite often. I am always thinking about my kids and how fast they are growing. Taking pictures, writing things down just so I can remember them someday. Why?

Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, WITHOUT FEAR.
---Henry Wadsworth Longfellow