So Much Comes Back to Haunt Us

This recent discussion in a microblogging site serves as the inspiration for today's post.

As an old friend and confidante used to say, the past is pass, or was it past? No, that doesn't make sense, we shall go with the former then. Of course, viewpoints on the subject matter of histories are nothing new, yet there seems to be a need for further elaboration. After all, if you've read the plurk, as they call it, what may be true before may not be necessarily true today, or tomorrow for that matter.

Barry Manilow's "Somewhere Down the Road", in all it's melancholic cheesiness captures the very essence of the above sentence. Indeed, "the right love at the wrong time" as it where, happens more often than we think. People's belief systems, personalities and quirks have been know to morph. The change is subtle, not clearly evident unless opportunities to test these changes present themselves. Perhaps one is to be blamed/credited for such a change, no matter, it is there and probably there to stay unless another anti-thesis requires the paradigm to shift. Two people may realize that what was once impossible or what couldn't be worked out can be revisited with renewed vigor and perspective. Love the second time around is sweeter, if and only if the parties involved learn from their respective mistakes and, if required, hand out the needed dosage of forgiveness.

But the very concept can be used in the reverse. Being aware of the changes (or the lack thereof) and what transpired in the past can serve as a metaphorical stop sign, if not a clear indication that that ship has sailed. Friendship may be the next best option, or worse, a deep-seeded pang of guilt, hatred, regret and fear could take the place of such remnants.

For whatever reason, the past will always be with us, perhaps not physically, but in our memories. What is important is to remember that it is the past, something that is done and over with. Remember it simply as one of the many footprints we've left in the waking world, there as a reminder of where we've been and how far we've come, and not a shadow overhead that cages us from enjoying what else life can offer.