During my later childhood and teenager time it turned out I would develop a highly sensitive as well as melancholy personality.
Facing problems, getting in trouble, seeing injustice or people needing my compassion made me very sad, even angry. I cried more often than was good for me.
In the meantime I learned to control my emotions on a different level. It doesn’t mean things like this don’t touch me anymore. It is just easier for me to get along with them; it as well means than I am helpful and caring – and therefore too often used by people.
Not everything in my life went smoothly and too often I faced trouble or problems. When solutions for them are found, I work on it – and what’s done is gone.
But I have to admit, if a person does anything bad, hurts me, uses me, humiliates me or is just downright evil I will keep that in mind.
It doesn’t mean I can’t forgive. In fact I could, but even if I forgive – I will never forget.
As many other people I had to learn how to handle the past to leave it behind me and concentrate on the future. This was a painful lesson.
I had a coach supporting me with this task and I still am grateful for all the efforts he was going through.
And one day he handed me a little picture with the quote of Lao Tzu:
If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present. Lao Tzu
I will never forget. In fact I still have that little card with the quote, even though old and ragged, I’m convinced it will stay with me until it will dissolve.
This is a quote necessary to shake me and my mind awake because we were heading into the wrong direction.
Thank you for all you have done for me, Mr. E. S. B. God bless you.
Aurora Jean Alexander
Writer's Treasure Chest 
Hi,
Forgetting is hard, especially when we see those people, or have to work with them, or even live with them. It is hard but it is well worth working at.. Your quote says exactly that and it is said beautifully. When you can’t forget, you start letting the past pull you back and when you think about what could happen again in the future, you let what others might do, hold you back.
You have quoted a very nice quote and your relationship to it.
Shalom,
Patti
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Thank you Patti. This to me is a quote that reminds me constantly of what needs to be done in order to achieve my goals. There are so many things hindering already. I don’t need to be pulled back by the past, by bad people in the past or by myself constantly reminded of being scared.
A little risk is part of moving forward, isn’t it? 🙂
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You have written from the heart A.J.. It is easy to slip back into the grips of the past. I could go on a rant here but I will end with agreeing with the wisdom of Lao Tzu.
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Thank you so much for your effort to read and comment on this post, Liz. It’s a great pleasure to see you here. I miss you very much!
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Keep the past like a well read novel on your book shelf – a novel that you will never have to read again. It holds true for good books and especially true for books that haunt you. You never have to read them again. Eventually you’ll forget they are even there. You only have to go forward with good things. I know you will. You’re talented and funny and have more fans than you know about. I want to see you do great things. Don’t worry about people who don’t count because you DO count. A lot to a lot of people (and cats). Hey, it you have cats, life is good. xoxoxo
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Once in a while I wonder how it comes that some people tell me, not to forget the past, it makes me who I am – while others tell me to forget it.
I personally prefer your advice, Juliette, to see my past as a well read novel on my book shelf. This is a wonderful expression and gives me not only a smile, but a feeling of satisfaction and kitty-happiness. Because you’re right in one other thing you said: “If you have cats, life is good”.
Thank you for your valuable advice!
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