Category: All past is prologue

The Rear View Mirror

On By scottpetersenIn All past is prologue, The Rear View MirrorLeave a comment

[A new one] The last time I saw my great friend Ox was after I dropped him off at O’Hare Field for his flight back to Dallas. As I drove away, I saw him in the rear view mirror. He stood there – waving. I honked the horn and drove on. A few months later, he died. My last view of Ox was in the rear view mirror. . . .

It is interesting how the universe of our lives is forever recorded in the rear view mirror. My 10 year old birthday party. The junior prom. Off to college. Meeting Donna. Marriage. Our daughter. Granddaughters. It’s all in the rear view mirror – as is yesterday. And each one of us has a rear view mirror – chock full of life that has gone by.

I’ve read that some folks are overly focused on the past – instead of the future. To dwell on past mistakes or failure – and being held back by a belief that the past dictates the future. Then too, reliving achievements and success can lead to complacency – and a reluctance to try new things.

Probably the best counsel we can receive is to acknowledge the past without letting it get in the way. Our past story does not necessarily determine the future. Best to be grateful for each new day. And live to make a difference. Life is like a painting. It’s never finished until that last bit of paint is applied. Mistakes can be covered – and and the good enhanced. Seeking to make life a masterpiece.

It’s okay to look at the rear view mirror – but it’s best to look out the windshield. Today is a brand new day . . . .

All Past is Prologue

On By scottpetersenIn All past is prologueLeave a comment

Let’s say you were to sit down and have coffee with Pope Leo XIV. Or have ice cream with Taylor Swift. Or maybe it would be a beer with Tom Hanks. Whoever it is – you would be sitting down with someone with whom you would chat, tell a few jokes and maybe enjoy some background memories. And whatever he or she has done – the person sitting before you has left their history at the doorstep. You are with the person as they are – at the moment. In the words of Shakespeare – from The Tempest – “What’s past is prologue.”

When you go out for dinner with friends or go to a cocktail party, everything that you have done, wherever you have travelled, whatever has gone on in your life merely sets the stage for the present. It’s a brand new day. For you and for others. The past has prepared each one of us for this brand new moment. And for the days to come. Along with opportunities. The forks in the road. The future. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

How will you look back on these moments in a week. A month. A year. A recent medical journal article suggests that the term “past is prologue” can open the door to greatness. Or maybe not. An alternate – more cynical – view is that we may not learn from experience and mistakes (CUAJ Andrew MacNeily – April 1, 2020). “What is past is prologue” appears on a statue titled “Present” (by Robert Aitken) in the National Archives Building in Washington DC. Aitken’s work was done in the past. 1935.

As for me, I’m looking forward to having ice cream with Taylor Swift next Friday . . . . . .