The past in the present
Seven years ago I made a public complaint about a flight situation. I know this because social media has decided it is a good idea for us to relive the past each day. It is like groundhogs day every day, reliving the same day over and over again, only in this one it is the "This day in history" version of our lives.
Well this morning as I was reading about this flight situation, I honestly sat silently staring at the wall trying to remember where I was going on this flight, why I was flying, and why it is was so important that I get where I was going on a certain day. And folks I can't remember. Not because I'm losing my memory, though sometimes I feel that way. I can't remember because it is not important today. Seven years to the date of this situation that I had the need to make a complaint, and I have no idea why I was complaining. I have no idea why I was upset. This reminds me of the saying, "If it is not going to matter 5 years from now, don't spend 5 minutes on it- 5by5Rule." I get it, in that moment though it seemed to matter, but I am here to tell you that it did not. Because seven years later I am completely blank on it's importance. But I spent the time to complain, I spent the time to be negative towards something that today does not even matter.
If we are each allotted a jar of life, and we can fill it with whatever we want but in filling it we cannot remove the past contents, I just put negativity into that jar taking up space for the positivity that I could have had in that moment. The bright side outlook that could have changed the mood of the situation. But I took the 5 minutes to complain and knowing myself back then, I probably hung onto it for a while. I sure hope I did not ruin whatever time I was trying to have, going where I was going. Clearly this complaint was not worth the time I spent on it seven years ago. Makes me wonder if any complaints or situations are really worth the negativity at all. Especially if we are just going to look back on it on a social media update and wonder what the heck was I thinking?
We can apply this concept to so much in our life. The relationships that fail. The exams we bombed. The places we did not go. The places we did go. The vacations we went on, or did not go on. All our past decisions lead us to where we are today, however could we still get to where we want to get by focusing on the positive? Chances are I was still going to get to wherever I was flying to, whether I was in a good mood or bad mood. So why spend the time on a bad mood? Seems kind of silly to me now, looking back on it.
Maybe our past should really pinpoint and shine upon the positive memories that we have... and in those moments we struggle to be positive, maybe we should find something else to do rather than complain about a guy who messed up a flight, to somewhere that I cannot even remember seven years later.
xoxo
Keep it bright. Keep it positive.
Well this morning as I was reading about this flight situation, I honestly sat silently staring at the wall trying to remember where I was going on this flight, why I was flying, and why it is was so important that I get where I was going on a certain day. And folks I can't remember. Not because I'm losing my memory, though sometimes I feel that way. I can't remember because it is not important today. Seven years to the date of this situation that I had the need to make a complaint, and I have no idea why I was complaining. I have no idea why I was upset. This reminds me of the saying, "If it is not going to matter 5 years from now, don't spend 5 minutes on it- 5by5Rule." I get it, in that moment though it seemed to matter, but I am here to tell you that it did not. Because seven years later I am completely blank on it's importance. But I spent the time to complain, I spent the time to be negative towards something that today does not even matter.
If we are each allotted a jar of life, and we can fill it with whatever we want but in filling it we cannot remove the past contents, I just put negativity into that jar taking up space for the positivity that I could have had in that moment. The bright side outlook that could have changed the mood of the situation. But I took the 5 minutes to complain and knowing myself back then, I probably hung onto it for a while. I sure hope I did not ruin whatever time I was trying to have, going where I was going. Clearly this complaint was not worth the time I spent on it seven years ago. Makes me wonder if any complaints or situations are really worth the negativity at all. Especially if we are just going to look back on it on a social media update and wonder what the heck was I thinking?
We can apply this concept to so much in our life. The relationships that fail. The exams we bombed. The places we did not go. The places we did go. The vacations we went on, or did not go on. All our past decisions lead us to where we are today, however could we still get to where we want to get by focusing on the positive? Chances are I was still going to get to wherever I was flying to, whether I was in a good mood or bad mood. So why spend the time on a bad mood? Seems kind of silly to me now, looking back on it.
Maybe our past should really pinpoint and shine upon the positive memories that we have... and in those moments we struggle to be positive, maybe we should find something else to do rather than complain about a guy who messed up a flight, to somewhere that I cannot even remember seven years later.
xoxo
Keep it bright. Keep it positive.
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