Our past and our future

The more I think about my past, the more I recognize what a good past I have. The things I thought might go wrong rarely did, I got through my troubles minimally scathed and I’ve got a boatload of memories that remind me I’ve had a life worth living. I suspect a lot of people, even many without a perfectly peachy life, would probably feel the same way.

This simple fact has been true in ever year of my life since I was born. And yet my thoughts about the future are often tainted by concern and worry. I’m a guy that likes a bit of predictability and has, or at least I feel like I have, things to lose.

So if the past is any guide, any anxiety I have about my future will be unfounded, never mind utterly unhelpful. In a sane moment, I realize that 30 years from now I will probably be reflecting on what a great life it has been, just as I do now with previous years. I’ll remember raising beautiful children and the joy that I‘ve had being a husband to my bride each and every day. I’ll be grateful for all that I’ve been given, for the blessings I haven’t deserved.

Short of very deliberate self-intervention, our past and our future probably won’t be as different from one another in terms of quality as we think. And dwelling on either will never serve us well.