When you think about the things that you know now as opposed to what you knew when you were younger, it can take some time to fully absorb all of the changes that one has undergone.  For me the changes over time have caused ultimately positive changes, however, it may have taken some time to realize that things were in fact for my own good.  I am also a true believer that when we know better we do better.  Our lives are filled with many instances that if we could replay those moments such as on YouTube, it would be quite enlightening to see what we were like in those moments when we made some crucial life decisions.  In reflecting about all of this I was reminded about one of my favorite movies with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep, it was called, "Defending Your Life".  In this movie Albert dies and before he goes to Heaven, he has to defend the life that he had on Earth in a before Heaven place. He has an appointed attorney that is assigned to him and during the course of the defense, they play parts of his life back in short videos that are filled with examples of him demonstrating qualities such as bravery.  There is also an attorney arguing on the other side and showing vignettes of his life that demonstrate where he did not show good qualities and their position is that he should be sent back to Earth as he is not ready.  If I were to defend my life, I am not sure where I would begin to show the markers that I feel were the moments that enabled my respective good qualities to shine.  When I think about everything that has occurred in my life, it was a series of moments that were strung together that were able to give me the desired attributes that I am proud of today.  I have come to realize that things that happen in my life are here to teach me something, which was not always my philosophy.  I have also learned that when things are presented in my life more than once, I know that I probably did not learn the lesson the first time.  I would like to say that I have done better in knowing more or as wisdom has allowed me to be more cognizant of the consequences of my decisions.  The next time you get the opportunity to reflect on what you have learned over time, give yourself some credit for the things that you got right, while also allowing for additional opportunities of growth to still occur.  The path to personal growth is as varied as the geography on our planet.  Not all of it is the same and one must allow themselves to enjoy where they happen to be at, even though that may not be one's final destination.