Short Term Memory

I spent a great evening a few days ago celebrating a wedding of some dear people that I know and the very next day I was on the road to get to another celebratory event out of town.  As I drove on my way from one post event to another, I thought about the wonderful milestones that we all get to enjoy with others who have walked alongside us over the years.  We all know family and friends that have been part of our lives for so long, that allow us the opportunity to enjoy each others company in between visits, as we catch up on our recent past.  I appreciate all of these moments even more as an adult, as I realize what a great life I have had thus far, in being able to contemplate and be part of this community of people that looks out for one another.  I relish the moments now when I get to see these wonderful individuals and get a moment take it all in, as we catch up on the many things that have transpired since our last encounter.  I get to hear and see pictures of how children have grown up and some of them have their own babies now.  How time flies is certainly among the first things that pops into my head, when I absorb all of these stories and pictures of these extended family members.  It is a great feeling to have, when one realizes that the path you have traveled has been decorated with these beautiful tapestries of the many folks that have been part of your life over the course of so many years.  Although my first thoughts to myself might be centered around how old I must be, in contrast to the many children that I once knew, I really do take it all in and just smile at how beautiful our lives have been thus far.  In these moments, I also think about the many people that either struggle with their own personal relationships or perhaps have chosen to distance themselves from the many family members that they once had.  Because of the difficulties that may be associated with specific individuals, I have learned that there are many people that would rather not open an old wound and keep their feelings along with their need to re-connect to people at a minimum.  I find it a bit sad when I hear that some family members have not seen or spoken to their relatives for a large number of years and there was specific intent in doing so.  I figure that with life being too short, we cannot afford to carry those ill feelings forward and if people have crossed my path with an unkind word in the past, I choose to have a short term memory and not remember or carry any resentment along with recollections of any strife.  At the age that I am in life, I have chosen to only participate in relationships that add value to myself and others, while I leave all which no longer serves a purpose for me in the very distant past.  Having a short memory when it comes to recalling ill feelings or any other instance when someone's actions were less than noble towards you makes for a happier outlook on life.  I once heard someone speak about their family dog and although the dog misbehaved and caused some minor damage around the house, they knew right away when they were corrected about their behavior.  However, unlike us humans, dogs quickly forget what the bad circumstance was and they wag their tail along with offer their unconditional love in an immediate fashion.  As move about your day and think about any of those circumstances in the past where you felt wronged or were the target of some negative emotion, do yourself a favor and choose to let those memories lie in the past where they belong.  Allow for some peace of mind and use your internal delete button when you run across these circumstances that for all intents and purposes are better left with no further attention needed by you.  

Painting Your Life Chapters

Imagine what reading would be like if all of the books that were housed in a library were all the same.  If that were the case, then reading would be a past time that a lot of folks would probably not be an advocate of.  When one picks up a book or now downloads onto their reading device, they are excited to see what story will be painted in their imagination that will transcend them from where they are, to a magical and perhaps different world.  Depending upon the type of stories that speak to an individual, they all have the commonality in that they are different and offer unique perspectives about something that captivates the reader's attention.  Some of us gravitate towards a particular section of books based upon our affinity towards a subject matter or even an author if we are familiar with their prior works.  What is always fascinating to me is that similar to art that is painted by an artist, the interpretation of a book along with the vivid imagination that is created as a result of the written word is unique to the observer.  I can recall going to art museums in the past and wondering what the artist must have been thinking when they put their imagination and passion for a subject matter down on a blank canvas that created an artistic rendition.  In many instances, I would think to myself that perhaps I did not get the whole artist thing, as I could not figure out the deeper meaning behind the title of a work of art versus what I was observing.  Then as I grew older, I began to realize that similar to the famous saying of beauty being in the eye of the beholder, that art consisted of the same type of attributes as everyone's personal interpretation of it was equally accurate.  Although I may not understand all works created by talented artists, I do appreciate the process by which they arrived at their own masterpiece, as it involved passion and a clear vision of what they wanted to see as the end result.  This I find to be a great analogy for living life, as we are considered to be the artists of our own lives and the culmination of what we want our lives to be, becomes what and how we defined it.  What I like about comparing life and an artistic work of art is that we too began with our own blank canvass and began adding to it through out our lives. Although we may not have known exactly how the finished product was going to look like, the test of time tells us that anything can change from one minute to another and we have to be comfortable with a work of art that perhaps is drastically different than when we started.  Similar to many artists who will tell you that their creation took on a life of its own, so too can our path in life.  Whether we intended or not to be in the place that we are today, there were a series of occurrences that changed our direction as we created the life that we are now living.  I firmly believe that while my life is a work in progress, many others feel the same way as we all feel that there are more chapters to be written before we get to a completed finished work.  Therefore, I have come to appreciate the variety of chapters in my own life, as the twists and turns have made it an interesting read for me so far.  In addition, when I get the opportunity to speak to others, I visually see how different our book covers can be from the outside, while I get the opportunity to hear about their own life chapters that will inevitably find many things that I can relate to in their own stories.  As you contemplate what your next chapter in life will be, think about approaching it from an artist's perspective.  Remember to use broad brush strokes and bold colors to help add and refine to your masterpiece that is defined by your true self.