Today’s card says: You get to choose your past. What you choose to remember, what you choose to bring to the present moment, what you choose to still hang on to is all up to you.
When I was in 6th grade (or maybe 5th grade), we were assigned Jonathan Livingston Seagull as summer reading. I remember immediately falling in love with the story and going through a Richard Bach period where I read all of his books. Nothing measured up to JLS for me but I spent quite some time on Illusions. And there’s a quote in that book that says:
“You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. Don’t turn away from possible futures before you’re certain you don’t have anything to learn from them. You’re always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.” -Illusions by Richard Bach
I didn’t understand this quote at all at the time. How were you free to choose a different past? But then, over the years, I’ve made my own interpretation of this and wrote about it here and here. (sidebar: How is it possible that I wrote that first post fifteen years ago!) And I find it to be a powerful reminder each time I see myself falling back into my old patterns.
Choosing the word choose was all about reminding myself that I hold the power to choose not only what to do, how to respond but also what to hang on to and what to let go of. What I make things mean. What I bring into this present moment. What I take away from this moment. What I move into the future with me. It’s about choosing what I learn and what I forgive and what I embrace. It’s about all of it. Remembering that I hold the power of how I live my life.
How I choose to interpret it.
Choosing Means is a Monthly Project for May 2016. You can read more about my projects for 2016 here.
Thanks for the inspirations. They are so wise and uplifting.
Good morning. I too remember the book. It was quite popular when I first read it. Choosing your past? That is a novel thought. I can remember so much but I can CHOOSE what I remember? That could be less disturbing. There are things I would rather not remember so I can CHOOSE to not remember them. That choice can have a huge impact on the kinds of things that clutter up my mind and that upset me, things that I had no control over and that do not serve me well to remember. This is what I will do today. Imagine my memories and like a white board wipe away those that cause me anger and frustration. Thank you so much for the posting.
Namaste.