Nostalgia: What Was and What Lies Ahead

"There is no real going back. Though I may come back to the Shire, it will not be seen the same; for I shall not be the same." - Frodo Baggins

I just saw this  quote today, and describes well what I am feeling and thinking right now. I am a very nostalgic person. I love to think back to the days gone by and I remember well what befell in those times, borderline regret on some things. But as Frodo so eloquently states, there is no real going back. The reason why, as he explains, is that we will not be the same. What we have done, what we remember, what we regret, has influenced us and changed us so that we will not make that mistake again. As much as we'd like to be able to hear and listen to advice, we normally don't, well, I normally don't because I am stubborn and need to learn things the hard way. Whether it be using all your time with a person, because you truly never know when it will be your last with them, or wishing you hadn't told a person you had feelings for them because it somewhat altered the friendship, we will always wish we had done something differently. But dwelling on that is like throwing a lit match into an already burning fire. It's pointless, because we cannot change what we did.

So often I imagine what things would be like if my dad were still living. But as I begin to think, I realize that his death is a lot of the reason for me being who I am today. God has really used it for good, and as much as I miss my dad, I wouldn't change a thing. We cannot, as humans and especially as Christians, try to live our lives as if our past could be changed. Because if we do, we will miss the beauty of the current situations by focusing on the masterpiece of the last one. If you look at it that way then you will only have one beautiful portrait of your life rather than hundreds. I really hope that makes sense.

I'm tired so this is going to be a short application. I really want all of you who read this to really think through the decisions you are making and in your head think "will this be something I regret later?" One last thing, try to make decisions that will not make you lose friends or make the relationship different. Friends are some of the most important people in your life and you should think of them when making decisions.