Reality #14: Look At Life Through The Windshield, Not the Rear View Mirror

Joey:  "You never look back, do you?"

Pacey:  "Why would you look back? The future's out there. And whatever it is, it's gonna be great."

Growing up with older sisters, I usually managed to watch shows that they watched. My older middle sister got me into watching a show with her called Dawson's Creek. To date, this is my favorite show of all time.

The quote at the beginning of this post came from that show, and even though it stopped airing years ago, I believe that a lot of the things the characters said then makes more sense to me now that I am older.

If you are anything like me, or the character Joey on Dawson's Creek, you may spend a lot of time looking back in the past. I always think back to what if it would have happened differently, what if I would have went here, said this, done that. Dwelling on the past is like a never-ending circle of doubt.

And let me tell you something I've learned about and doubt: It will make you sick. It will keep you up at night. It will break you down.

What I am also beginning to learn, however, is that doubt is the rust of life. Doubt will paralyze you, causing you to stay landlocked in one place, in one frame of mind. The time that you spend doubting is time that will slip from your hands, time that you will never get back, time when you are not truly living.

Part of the quote at the beginning of this post not only recognizes Joey looking into the past, but also Pacey recognizing that one must look to the future. I mean, of course he future is scary. And yes, no matter what we will most certainly have doubts creep back into our lives...we're human, aren't we?

But the thing is that if we can only look into the past less and begin taking steps toward the future, then maybe this thing we call life wouldn't be so bad after all.

I mean, the future is out there, right? Then make it what you want it to be. No one is stopping you but yourself...

"Come to the edge," he said.

They said, "We are afraid."

"Come to the edge," he said.

They came. He pushed them. And they flew.

Quote by Guillaume Apollinaire

~Mj~