NOTES FROM THE AWARENESS: 502

Reminisce in small doses.

Please reflect and share. How does this play out for you?

All of us have favorite memories, high points in life we like to recall—meeting our beloved for the first time, becoming a parent, a big career success, getting married. The remembering brings joy as we relive peak events.

It’s good to feel happy about the past, especially when we share the experience with others. But we don’t want to indulge in the backwards gaze too often. When absorbed in reliving the past, we’re prevented from living in the present. Our retrograde focus doesn’t allow us to be all-in right now, so we aren’t enjoying the potential of the moment.

Today’s message advises that I put my attention, for the most part, on being happy now. When I focus too much on old glories, I limit the number of good memories I have because I’m not creating new ones in the moment. Reminiscence is a condiment, not my main course in life.

How about you? Do you like to revisit the past?