“We all enjoy a trip down memory lane as long as we can avoid the potholes.” (Anon)
That was the quote in today’s post to the blog Jack’s Winning Words. Pastor Jack Freed opined about focusing upon one’s happy memories, instead of dredging up all of the mistakes, missteps or other potholes that may be down your memory lane.
My wife and I often go out “Bambi spotting” in our area, usually in the large Metropark that is nearby. The park has nice roads, with only the occasional pothole. We also often leave the park via a dirt road that connects to it. On that road, the potholes are more numerous and the other “features” of gravel roads in Michigan make it quite a bit bumpier; but it is a choice that we make. Life is full of choices that take one onto bumpy roads. We don’t remember the road so much as the joy of spotting a few deer while we are on it.
Trips down memory lane should be made with out regrets. Spending time on regrets for things long in the past is more wasteful than time spent in anxious worry about things yet to come. At least when worrying about the future, one still has the ability to change the outcome. The same is certainly not true about revisiting past failures or potholes in your memories. I have posted here a few times about forgetting things and moving on – most recent in conjunction with the Corona Virus pandemic (See https://normsmilfordblog.com/2020/05/16/let-it-go-and-move-on/)
Jack’s quote was attributed to my favorite literary family – the Anons. Many of the greatest quotes and some of history’s greatest literature has been attributed to various generations of the Anon family. I have also posted here in the past about them – see https://normsmilfordblog.com/2013/02/03/with-tongue-firmly-in-cheek-anon-the-worlds-greatest-writer/
Perhaps it is just all of the time that one has when spending time self-quarantining, or maybe that fact that the future is so uncertain right now; but, it does seem as if I spend more time on memory lane these days, most of it pleasant but occasionally hitting a pothole. Memorial Day weekend for many is a mixed bag when it comes to memories. There are certainly many pleasant memories of family gathering, watching parades and backyard barbeques; however, the serious side of Memorial Day for me also brings back memories of serving in Viet Nam and the friends that did not come back. I prefer to remember them fondly, rather than hit the potholes that are almost certainly there. Look for the deer in life and remember the joy of seeing them and not the bumpy road that you were on at the time.
Have a safe and smooth trip down your memory lane this Memorial Day Weekend.
NormsMilfordBlog 