This is nice Mandy. You made me think of Tom Hanks when he played Walt Disney in Mr. Banks. He had made up his past to be a happier place than it actually was and when asked why he had chosen to remember his past this way he replied something like ‘ which past would you rather remember?’. I’m not an advocate of delusion but I think this was a kind of metaphor for overcoming difficulty through positivity.
I think there are three reasons for looking back. To learn. To atone. And to feel. As often I have a poem in my archives which I think is apposite.
Look Back
Look back and do better next time
Your progress will always appeal
Or make amends where that can be done
Since old, open wounds still heal.
But mostly look back at the story
Your memory serves to reveal
To smile and laugh, to cry and mourn,
To open up your heart and feel.
It all adds up to who we are
Gives shape to what we believe
So the past can live in the present
We should wear our hearts on our sleeve.
Since that’s what makes us Human,
Our conscious, knowing soul
Sitting as an angel on our shoulder
Keeping selfish desire in control.
And even when it hurts too much,
If we love and choose not to hate
Then with courage we can love ourself
And leave all else to fate.
There’s no greater gift can be given
Than if in so doing you find
The love of another you love in return
And hope that the future will be kind.
