Why we hold on to the past
I’m at a point in time where a lot is changing. Between old chapters ending and new chapters starting, it can be scary to go into the unknown and throw yourself in the deep end.
So why do we hold on to the past? Old friends, memories, items of clothing? At a time of change, it can feel uncertain, and to feel a sense of familiarity, a sense of belonging, it can be natural to long for what used to be.
I’m not saying this is necessarily bad. I think sometimes we remember things better than they were, and may feel like we’re missing out if we’re not involved in things we used to be.
I want to stay in the past. My mother has always said to me that I have to move forward. But I can’t. It makes me feel like I’m cutting out a part of me that I can’t function without. As time goes on, I see that I have to look ahead and see what CAN happen, how much there is going on in the future.
This recently hit me. I just thought I’d share it incase it helped anyone else who was feeling similar and wanted some validation for their feelings.
I think we have to allow for a grace period of adjustment. As I’ve had a few days to reflect on this piece as well, I’m actually grateful for feeling like this, because you don’t tend to miss something that didn’t hold value. Moving forward, there has to be space for what’s to come, and I think I am adjusting to that now.
Sometimes you’ll have an interaction that makes you rethink everything, and in this instance, it helped me to move forward.
As they say, if it's meant to be, it'll be. Enjoy where you are now while it lasts.
*Header shows the author photographed in 2016: the past
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