Have you ever left something behind? Sure you have, your whole life is behind you every time another second of time ticks over.
Time only moves in one direction like life. and we all leave things behind, parts of ourselves, and sometimes we leave other people there too, in the past. It happens for various reasons; people drift into and out of our circle, are unsuitable to be in our life or we just move on without them. Sometimes we lament the loss and sometimes not; it's situational. We leave events, thoughts, attitudes, actions and reactions behind also and at times we have regrets; it's all just part of the thing we each call our lives.
I took this photo a while ago, a feather left behind by a bird.
I'm not sure if it noticed the loss, if the birds' life was different without it or it was just something that it had, and then did not have, and its life went on regardless of it. I came across the photo on the weekend and it brought thoughts of the past to mind, of leaving parts of our lives, people and events, behind and what the present and future looks like because of it.
I tend to find more interest in delving into history than the present time, researching it, learning what those who came before me thought, how they acted and I like being able to see the results and outcomes that arose from those thoughts and actions.
I believe there is a great deal to be learned by looking backward in time and have long thought that the answers to the present and future often lay in the past - humans are predictable and if we learned from our past successes and failures then applied them to the present and future I believe we'd have more prosperous and happy personal lives and a more wholesome society.
I've had people drift out of my life in the past and mostly I'm better for it.
I'm not saying they were bad people, or wrong for me, just that I've not suffered negatively from it and, indeed, what I learned along the way has helped me apply thoughts or actions to my present moments that have affected my future ones. I'm not one to cling onto people that choose to drift away, I just let them go, draw a line beneath them and move forward towards whatever my present and future hold. Sure, there's some I regretted losing, and probably will again, but if they wish to leave then who am I to stop them...Also, if I chose to leave them behind I have to face and accept my own decision no matter why I made it.
I don't like to think I've left my life behind, because everything I have thought or done, every attitude and action good or bad, has brought me to this very moment in time and shaped me into the man I am, and still does. If measured against time then yes, it's behind me; but life is the yardstick, what I do with it and how I create it, and because I'm still in it, still alive, my present and future can still be shaped, designed and created the way I would like.
I'm pretty sure most of us has left something or someone behind for various reasons, have you? Feel free to tell me in the comments if you would like, or maybe just a story about how your past has positively affected your present and future.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
Any images in this post are my own
The sheer volume of people who attempt the same thing the same way because they're "smarter and better educated" than the previous attempters (and they didn't bother checking the whys of previous fails) and are
when they fail the same way though.
I don't know how many people I've genuinely "left behind", they all probably moved on some way or other, even my parents that I "left behind" still living in my childhood home that I try to visit every couple of years. Maybe it's me that gets left behind? It's all relative I guess? XD
Yeah I know right?
Hey, let's make the exact same errors those before us did and expect different results.
WTF?
Leaving things (people) behind us is inevitable and probably quite human. We have all done it. I see it as a good thing, a smart thing, as it means we've grown and developed and are ready to move on to something different. Those that can't change generally bring about change in those around them who have the capacity for personal growth and noongwr want to stay where they are physically or emotionally. Something like that anyway.
I have moved and lived in US states - New York, Los Angeles Califoria, Seattle Washington, and Atlanta Georgia. Moreover, I have moved and lived in Asia - China, Korea, and now currently in Taiwan.
Everytime there is a big move I struggle within me cause I will need to leave behind mostly everything cause economically it's practically the same price when you ship your stuff or buy it there. So I usually will not attach myself to material goods causw its really hard to part with..... for example, my guns. Its extremely personal and I believe many can relate to how I feel. However I cannot bring them what little I have left I will send it to my parent place.
Its funny cause when time passes through I totally forget of all possessions I have until I see a photograph of it. "Oh yea I remember that~"
Is what comes as a memory and swiftly moves on to the next.
I do long for and wish in my next life I can be born and same time die at the same place. I really think its a gift for those who settle in, build something nice, feel total ownership of what you own and be completely familiar with every surroundings in your territory. "Settling in".... is what I have left behind.
Many people often tell me that they wish they can be like me and travel the world and truly "live" in countries and experience the world. and I understand thier point of view as well.
Its funny, we humans... the grass is always greener on the other side. :) We all want what we dont have.
A snippet of my life~ my 2 cents.
It's interesting how some people get so attached to things and will cart them everywhere and then others will not. Sure, I understand keepsakes, mementos and heirlooms...but a couch? I'm like you, and would leave it behind. Moving is a good opportunity to discard excess things. Guns though, yeah they're something a person gets attached too easily. I've had most of mine for many years and would not want to move then on just because I was relocating.
I hear you on the stay in one place thing for sure. Whilst it's a good opportunity to see a few places and live like a local, having roots in one place but travelling around the world is what I've mostly done. I've lived most of my life in Australia...different States at times.
It's undeniable that we surly would leave somethings consciously or unconsciously pressing for the future. Memories are there but at some point it look like they are gone our possessions which we invested a lot to earn time comes when we just need to move on. Man is always on the move trying to carry everything along, the weight would weigh you down and movement becomes uneasy.
and I wonder if this maybe unconsciously what I have wanted. I always felt once I discovered the world was enormously huge I felt that life is so short and there is not much time in our life to experience all that is out there. What to see, what to eat, what music to hear, people to meet, inspirations to experience... heck there is definitely still so many to list. :)
Living is intentional act . We could only make the best of it by been conscious.
Nice... that is pretty deep words.
Very true. Thanks for the feedback.
Deep and reverent as always.
This reminded me of something I was thinking about the other day. Our memories and dreams aren't that different. I had a memory resurface of my dad elbowing me in the nose. When I was 8 years old I stood directly behind him as he was crank starting a minibike.
I completely forgot about that incident until well over 30 years later. All I remembered about the day was riding that minibike up and down our dirt road.
Someone else could have only remembered getting elbowed in the face by his dad. Maybe they would have been traumatized by it. I think we can tap into a power when we look into your past and choose to focus only on the memories that make us stronger, happier and more grateful.
A human memory is an a powerful thing, there is no doubt and a person can turn to advantage and disadvantage depending on perspective, attitude and mindset. Your minibike story is one such thing.
Remembering good things can drive us towards more of it and the same with the bad things. I think the memory is there to be used to our advantage though, not just to recall a few good memories. A child getting burned by a stove will remember not to touch it next time...A man who tucks into hot pizza and gets burned by molten cheese will remember not to do it next time. Ok, that last one isn't a good example because I've been burned by molten pizza cheese more than one. Lol.
I'm so happy to have my memory, I don't forget much, but that comes with challenges also, I'm sure you understand. Sadly, my father had dementia and lost much of his memories, or they became so garbled that they might have well been lost. It was sad to watch and he became someone I didn't really know...He didn't know who I was either. But...I have a lot of memories of him, like you and your elbow-incident, and that's what counts.
Well said.
Feathers that fall out are replaced with new ones for birds, right? The past is the past, and there are many lessons to be learned from it.
Regardless of who leaves whom, we have complete control over whether or not we use something as a lesson for the present and the future.
I often leave someone who is poison in my life; sometimes the same people come back, but the portion and effect of their presence are different for me now and in the future, and so is that person in my life. I recently left a friend who always depended on other people. I gave him a fishing rod, but he always asked for fish and broke the fishing rod that I gave him. It's not good for me, and it will be worse for him if I don't leave him.
Mr. Galenkp, you again remind us of something valuable, even if it's just a fallen bird feather.
Did you find it during the hunt yesterday, Sir?
Well, they do mostly, but if I've plucked a chicken, dressed it and put it in the oven, then eaten it with baked potatoes, carrots, pumpkin and green beans...Yeah, that one is unlikely to grow it's feathers back.
Exactly! If we allow it to diminish us it's our fault...if we use it to augment and improve ourselves then it's our fault. You know?
A legit good idea. Me too.
I saw that feather earlier this year whilst out hunting...I took a couple images and stored them away...I came across it looking at it prompted me to make a post about it.
Most of the time, although we want to leave all the pains and aches in the past, yet still it marks deeply that we must carry and heal on our own. As for me, I leave the old self that I used to hate. The "me" in the past that is always impatient, too goal-driven, and didn't mind others at all. Yeah, but I think the most important thing about leaving and carrying something in the past is you already get something you can use to make your future flourish even more.
!PIZZA
This is good, leaving that person you didn't want to be. It means you developed into the man you wanted to be, did the work and put in the effort to do so. That's ownership and responsibility. Well done.
My thoughts exactly.
I suppose it depends on the situation and how you interpret it as each person may see things differently, each of us being unique and all.
There are plenty people that I have left behind, almost always for good reasons, there have been others that I've drifted from because our lives were just on different paths, but people that I value and care for I don't simply discard and will make an effort to keep in touch with.
I feel that there's a lot more of my life behind me than ahead of me now, but the parts and the people that have been monumental in shaping me into who I am today will never be forgotten or taken for granted like the feathers that a bird moults seasonally.
My life has just taken on a huge change and yet, I still feel exactly the same for the people that I care for. As for material things, well I'm happy for them to go except for those that have sentimental value.
I'm with you on the more behind than in front thing and also about those who have played pivotal roles in my life; to forget or take them for granted diminishes their memories I think.
Material things, sure we need some of them, but most could be left behind, especially these days in a world where people want more things, most of which are superfluous.
When I was young, I grew up in the countryside an my bested friend lived on a local farm where his father was the farmer. I spent hours every day with my friend on the farm. We roamed the lands, tended the animals.
As I grew up, I was ambitious to see life and the world. I travelled to the city for education and saved money to backpack around the world. I ended up with a city job that involves a lot of travel to different places around the world. I have met so many people from so many different backgrounds.
I recently went back to the village and met my old friend by chance. I hadn't seen him for 25 years. He was still living on the same farm where he was the famer. He had a young son who helped him.
I am not comparing at all who's live is better. He is happy and content and you can't beat that. However, it did make me realise how my life decisions had led me down a completely different path. I don't regret moving on and leaving him behind it was right for me. I did leave him behind but we both ended up happy with the present we find ourselves living in.
This is a good story and shows that different paths can still lead to the same place; contentment.
Who's life is better? It doesn't matter, but I'd say both of you would say you have been happy with your respective lives and that there's things you could have done better, differently. That doesn't negate the things you actually did though, they are all components of your lives.
Thanks for sharing this.
I have left behind many people, many cities, many things; I confess to you, however, that in the end, in hindsight, I have no regrets and whoever went is right, abboa did it, whoever stayed, it's not said, they will always be here and in any case it's ok because after all, life is like that. Surely the past teaches and if man knew how to treasure it, many mistakes would not be repeated... unfortunately this is true on a small scale but in the large scale it is never applied, just look at wars or politics for example. Beautiful reflection, thanks as always for sharing.
I know a few people who say they don't look backwards, they try to forget or neglect the previous moments if their lives but I think that may be limiting thinking. What happened previously shapes us, thoughts and attitudes, and that affects things moving forward right? It's good to understand the past, make changes and move forward. Just my opinion.
An opinion that I share, they say that you can't know where you're going if you don't know where you're from, right? 😉
Indeed, I agree.
Hopefully your week has been good so far. It's Tuesday night here, hump day tomorrow and then the run into the weekend.
In theory today should have started my working week but I woke up with a nice surprise....Covid19 yeah!💪 I'm positive so I'll have to stay in isolation until next Tuesday and then we'll see. I confess that I'm not even too sad because this will allow me to write and work more on things on my pc... If I had a fever of 39 but without covid I would have had to go to work pilled because the disease is a luxury lol! I had never heard of hunchback day eh eh! Come on, we run fast on the weekend!🤙
Oh bummer, but like you say, make the most of the time off. I had it in June, caught from a plane flight from Brisbane to Adelaide after I'd been at my companies' head office. Anyway, I was pretty sick for a few days then just used the rest to watch movies and relax. I didn't mind as I was getting paid.
I hope you don't get too sick and find some time to relax.
Yes come on, in the end now I'm a bit bruised but I can do everything so I'll take advantage of this period to write and relax a bit... as they say, not all bad luck comes to silver 😉
I read your complete post. I agree with you. We can change our future with hardworking and struggle. I was thinking about my past and i can not change my past. Now i am working hard and achieve my life goals. This is only to achieve goals. Everyone man thinking about it to give best life for his family. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading my complete post and not just skimming it.
Ownership and responsibility is required in life, the sad thing is that many don't show it and have lesser lives because of it.
If you work hard at the plans you have put in place to reach your goals then reach them you will, or you'll fail. If the latter happens then you'll have the chance to learn a thing or two before you try again.
Living in the present is one of my secrets to peace. If today I take care of being well, healthy, informed, and with the ability to solve problems, then I am building the foundations for a good future. Today is how I decide to live what I do and do not like ... choices....Galen
Life is all about choices, the key is to make ones that help us move in the right direction, or to put us back on track when we stray.
That is correct Galen, I think that the biggest problems of us human beings come from an excess of the past (nostalgia) which produces depression, or from the future (anticipating) something that has not happened, which produces anxiety.
I have learned to wait, to let go of control, and to be optimistic about what is to come, and these choices have not been easy for me.
Leaves behind people, hair and skincells. I’d never get away with murder. Second degree perhaps.
Haha, yeah I think you'd best come up with a good alibi because after forensics sweet through they're coming straight to your door.
Sometimes i wonder if it is possible to endure some pain but i noticed that as day pass by the pain is fading away. Our past is what bring us to where we are now. I remembered when i was living with my Aunty, she treated me as slave, sometimes when she give me food and noticed that am enjoying the food, she will spoil my mood by asking me, if it is in your mother's house, will you eat this kind of food. Chaii the tears will start rolling uncontrollable. But today am not there, it has become a past story left behind. As long as we are still alive in this world, our past helps to evaluate the present and the future. It makes us strong and change us to be better. This post by you @galenkp is like a morning coffee to all coffee lovers😀
Pain tends to fade I guess, even emotional pain, but we need to learn from it right? I think, if we are going to go through the pain and suffering we might as well learn from it and that may help us avoid it, or mitigate its effects next time.
You are absolutely right , we can't do anything what has happened in the past but our future is in our hand and we can do good deeds to shape up our future in the best way possible. Everyone does have someone who he/she remember from the past but can't do anything about it, but still think of that person.
Yeah, the ability to create a better future resides within ourselves, we simply need to find it and make it happen. It's all about the right thoughts and attitudes.
correct !!!!!!!!!!! Our present and learning from the past makes our future bright shine.
Well, I too have left many things behind in other to achieve a better future. Some years back, I was in a toxic relationship. All my efforts to make things work out well didn't work. Though it's painful to leave someone you love. But I left him behind because I want a brighter future. So, right now am being careful because it's left for me to reshape my future how I want it to be
That's right, we all have that ability, generally, and it's something we should approach with great care and attention. It's our lives we're talking about after all.
You are right Sir. That's what am doing now. Being very careful in all I do. Especially in terms of relationship
Hmmmm this writeup really touched me, I have left a lot behind and it's really affecting my present life, in the past I had the opportunity to increase my quality of education and then it was affordable honestly not that behind is affecting my present, in my love life I left some lovers behind I remember them now I smile.
Humans in a nutshell has left one thing or the other behind which if they remember it they feel bad like the father or mother of that bird in the picture will feel bad once he remembers the bird.
Thank you
Humans will always leave things behind them in life, wilfully, by accident or under duress...But that doesn't mean we cannot learn from that experience or loss. I guess we all need to act as we see fit and according to the information we have to hand at the moment. Yes, regret happens, but if one can turn that aside and use the experience to their betterment then it's worth the effort to do so.
Exactly because we will become a better person in future by using our past experiences wisely now in the future tho we will still have look behinds as humans but things will be much better.
I had a very good friend whom I left behind. It's important I do because of his life style. He loves unnecessary competitions and ready to make mockery of you on any thing he feels has and you don't have and he's never welling giving you a helping hand but always needs yours.
Just had to push him off and face my life though I had left somethings behind majorly keeping late nights .
It sounds like that fellow was the perfect candidate to be left behind and I think you're probably better off now that the person isn't in your life.
I'm better and comfortable.
Just impressive photography. I have no enough vp my id for this can't say more.
Thank you, I appreciate you taking the time to endorse my photography skills.
I personally think that you can't leave nothing beihind you, even if you forget about it or that person, the trauma or feelings or little parts of that is still present, and is affecting your life, and always will. i am not saying you should livs in the past, i am just saying..Thr past never dies. Great post, and great point of view
Yep, that's what this entire post is about as it turns out, so I agree.
Congratulations @galenkp! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next payout target is 122000 HP.
The unit is Hive Power equivalent because post and comment rewards can be split into HP and HBD
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Support the HiveBuzz project. Vote for our proposal!
I gifted $PIZZA slices here:
@dennnmarc(3/5) tipped @galenkp (x1)
Learn more at https://hive.pizza!
This is really teaching and creative.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
You are welcome