Sometimes it is easy to let our past dictate our present and our futures. Our Memories can At times be good, and other times they can assault our minds with what could have been, what might have happened and what almost happened. We can use memories to escape the present or we can learn from our memories and avoid similar problems in the future.
I look back at my past and I have many good memories…
As a kid at Knotts' Berry Farm getting to ride the Mule ride 3 times because my kid sister got scared. So I had to ride my ride, my moms ride and my sisters ride.
I remember stepping into Disney Land as a kid and being in total Awe of the entire place.
During the same trip I remember looking out over the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert and eating a Frozen banana at an Arizona Desert Roadside stand. I remember it looked like a Yellow Teepee.
I remember walking into Tiger Stadium and there they were, the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees not 100 feet from me.
I remember the view from the Empire State Building, the Staten Island Ferry, and Shopping at Macy's on 34th in New York and looking out from the Statue of Liberty.
I have memories of a trip as a kid through Las Vegas, down to San Diego and the Mexican Street Vendors
The first time I ever laid eyes on Mount Rushmore, and each time I have been since
I remember looking across the Great Salt Lake at 10:00 p.m. at night
I remember the first time held my kids
I remember going on a cruise in October of 2001, and the size of the boat. And how small the stateroom was (The Love Boat it was not) During that same trip I can remember the smell of my oldest son at 2 oclock in the morning when he returned to our stateroom after chowing down on Buffalo hot wings at the midnight buffet
I remember the view from the CN Tower in Toronto and a boat tour I took of the Harbor in Toronto.
I can go on and on with memories, first car, first musical instrument, first bicycle, first band practice, first date with my wife, first car wreck, first day on a job… they go on.
But while it can be nice to take a walk down memory lane once in a while, we cannot live in the past. We cannot allow the past to dictate our present nor our future. Our past is past and needs to remain in the past.
Mistakes, sins, failures, problems in the past, need to stay there. Do not let your past drag you down. Do not let those failings slap you in the face every day. Set aside and avoid those negative memories, relish the good ones and go forward.
