"What's done is done."

Lady Macbeth meant there's no changing the past, so just forget about it. Maybe. Maybe not. But either way, it is definitely easier said than done.

Everyone has a past. It's inevitable and it is what shapes us into the people we are today. Although it does not have to define who we are. Everyone goes through hard times now and again and "what doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger." I disagree. What doesn't kill us can make us weaker. Holding on to our past and letting it affect our future can tear a person up; keep them from living. Yes what's done is done, but it doesn't have to impact your everyday life. Only if you let it will your past have a hold of you. People go through shitty things, shit happens, and usually people don't deserve it. It's a way of life, it sucks, but it happens. Some people take the approach of "If God brought you to it, He can bring you through it." For some people this mindset works, for others not so much. It is amazing how people, myself included, let actions of others in the past effect how we view people in our present. We judge before ever really giving anyone a fair chance, especially if we've been done wrong. It is easy to assimilate certain actions and words into schemas where we cannot trust, associate, believe, or like others because someone before them has messed it up. Past actions and events change how you view everyday situations, it shapes how you interpret and react. Everyone is different. Everyone has a different story, no one will ever be able to feel the same way you do about something. No one will ever be able to completely understand where you are coming from, how it made you feel, so on and so forth. My friend Garrett and I were talking a couple summers back and although I don't remember word for word what he said I remember the point he was trying to make. You can never weigh your problems with those of someone else, they will not be the same and what may be hard for you could be easy for them and vise versa.

Everyone has a past. You live and you learn and this is what I've learned. You can accept what has happened to you and learn from it or you can live with it and let it affect the person you are. You cannot hold on to the past and expect to move forward in the future. As much as you want to forget what has happened to you and what has taken place, you can't. It has left its mark and helped shape you into the person you have become whether you like it or not. You decide whether it will leave a negative impact or a positive one. I'm not good with words and not sure how to put this so you can understand what I am getting at but this is what I've been contemplating for some time now:

Maybe it's not about leaving your baggage and forgetting your past but learning how to carry it with you gracefully.

If anything, I hope that is what you get out of this. We can't stop what has already taken place but we can learn from it and keep moving forward. Don't let the past keep you from living in the present because then, well, you will never truly live.

Childhood Innocence

I am jealous of little kids because they have the ability to live in the present. They forget about the transgressions of the past and maybe look forward to what will happen tomorrow but for the most part they live for the day. They are not afraid to be creative and imagine and believe. Anything is possible and they truly believe that without a doubt in their mind. Little kids are some of the most creative people I have encountered. They have elaborate and abstract ideals that sometimes you just have to stop and think, "how did you even come up with that?!" So what if they may not ever work or be realistic, that doesn't stop them. They don't conform their way of thinking to societies and sciences standards. Why is it that we let these things confine our thinking; do we not dare to dream? Why do we limit ourselves to stay in the lines?

It's like coloring.

Give an adult a coloring book and tell them to color. First, they are likely to think it is dumb or childish but they are likely to color whatever is on the page with the 'right' colors and stay in the lines. Give a child a coloring book on the other hand and you might end up with a princess with green skin and the sky could be purple. Rarely will they be able to stay in the lines but they're ok with that. They are still going to be proud and want it to be put on the refrigerator.

Life is a mess, you will never be able to stay in the lines but who is to tell you that it is wrong?

When did we become consumed with societies standards? When did we loose our childhood innocence? Who is to say what we imagine, dream, create is wrong or no good and why do we accept it? Some people would like to blame others for the way they think or feel about things but you have no one to blame but yourself. No one can influence you without you first accepting it, letting them.

Who is to say we are to think systematically? I dare you to think abstract.

Color outside the lines.