therapeutic thursdays: the past

{found via Tumblr}

I'm sure you've heard all the sayings. Forget about the past, focus on the now and the future. You get reminders: "Don't dwell in the past." or "You'll get stuck in the past if you think about it too long." or "Why can't you let go of the past?" 

But people tend to often forget that looking back at the past might not necessarily be a bad thing. You look back on the past to see how far you've come, see what accomplishments you've achieved. You look back to recall fond memories and, though you know you won't be able to re-create them, hopefully you can make new memories that are just as good, if not better.

I'll admit, The Lion King taught me valuable lessons about the past (and is responsible for one of my favourite movie scenes of all time -- seriously, watch it!). You can either run from it, or learn from it. Don't regret it. And, sometimes you might find that you can even celebrate the past in the present. For instance: birthdays. You're celebrating the day you were born however many years ago by celebrating each year on that day. Memories from previous birthdays will probably come flooding in - some good, some bad - but you can learn from it and smile about them. 

This week, I'm in a looking back mood, in fondness and in celebration. I wrote a post about my MUSE concert that I know I'll come back and re-read time and time again and be happy about that night. I wrote about sugar highs and how good it feels to be a kid again. Even in my Wednesday Wish post, I reminisced about seeing a movie with my sister, who I miss so much, but who I cherish memories with.

Well, today and tomorrow, I'm celebrating two years of knowing The Boy. We met, March 18th, two years ago on the city bus. (Technically, it was the week before but we only smiled at each other then, we didn't actually speak to each other.) March 18th was the day he sat down next to me on the bus (after we realized we were in the same night class) and we said, "Hi", had some easy-going conversation, and then ... he asked me out for coffee the next day. (The magic words?) 

So, while it's still an early 'tradition', we try to revisit the coffee place we went to on our first 'get to know each other' hang out, that led to two months of friendship and then a relationship. It's something that happened in the past, but something that's affected my present state so deeply, that I think it's worthy of looking back on and celebrating.

Of course, live in the now and don't dwell on the past to the point of misery. 

But look back, smile, learn, and carry on. :) 

What memories do you like to look back on?