Enjoying the Past As It Informs Our Present and Future

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”

~Nelson Mandela.

We mourn at times the changes we’ve made when we consider that the times have changed in us; as if we’ve moved too far forward and would readily return in an instant to the contexts that once contained us.

Alas we cannot.

On the positive side of that ledger, however, we see how far we truly have come, as if the place remaining unchanged for time-in-memoriam is a datum marker for just how far back we once were. We respect it, but we are also thankful for where we are now; that we don’t have to traipse that road again.

Walking down memory lane—allowing ourselves that luxury—can only help consolidate our self-concept, giving us suitable bearing for where we currently are, and this as a platform for our futures.

It is a wise thing, therefore, to give ourselves the time for reflection and, indeed, physical visitation back to those places.

They help us understand who we actually are.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.