Since the second day of our lives, we have all had a past. It is inevitable. We cannot escape it. It is what we do with the past that matters. We all have good memories of the past. We all have bad memories of the past. We all have events in our past that we are proud of, and we all have events in our past that we are ashamed of. There has been so much written and televised about time travel and reliving the past that it could be said that we are obsessed with it. Some people relive the glory days of their past throughout their entire lives, and it cripples them. Other cannot forget or forgive the events of the past, and that cripples them as well. I think it is safe to say that we should keep the past in the past. We should learn from it, but we should not live in it.

This is the way I see it; once a day has ended, it is in the past. We cannot go back and change it; we cannot go back and relive it. All we can do is remember it. I believe we all need to have an attitude shift when it comes to the past. Every day is a gift. I will go one step further; everyday is a chance to wipe the slate clean. It is a chance to start over and live a different life. The time to change the past was in the past. Although we all do things that we are ashamed of and we regret, the key is to forgive ourselves and to let go of it. Reliving the past does not do any of us any good. We cannot go back and change it, so we must continue to look forward. The only thing in this life that we can change is the present and the future. The past is dead and gone.

I believe that we all enjoy living in the past because we know how it turned out. The future is scary because it is an unknown. However, the future can be exciting because it presents limitless opportunities for each of us. We have a fresh start to begin living the life that we are meant to live. So, do me a favor and repeat after me: “The past is in the past. It may have been wonderful, and it may have been painful. My job is not to change the events of the past, but to live in the present. I will forgive the transgressions of the past made by others and myself, and I will go forward. When I find myself living in the past, I will remind myself that my happiness, my hope, and my peace lies in the present and in the future.”

I believe that if we all can do this it will change the world. If not the world, it will surely change us and mend many broken hearts and free us from the crippling feeling that many of us experience when we live in the past. Letting go of the past and living in the present will bring us peace, and PEACE MATTERS.

~Dan~