The Push & Pull of the Past

Now and then I experience an undefined heartache that I could never explain if I wanted to. Recently someone quite close to me said this on her blog, in which she sporadically posts her observations on life:

The character Lillith, on the season finale of "Frasier", astutely observed that "with one hand the past holds us back and with the other it pulls us forward." I have found that very true.

We are all the end product of the sum of our parts, be they good, be they bad, regrettable, or vindicating. And as we settle into new chapters in our lives, we often experience a longing for what we have just left, even if it did not always give us pleasure. Sometimes the fact that it just was, and could be counted on to be, creates an unexpected ache. I suspect that we are creatures of habit, and within familiarity lies comfort. Then again, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Therefore, there is no shame in looking back, as long as you do not lose sight of what lies ahead of you as well.


Well said, J1. Though our circumstances differ, you still captured well the unexplainable churnings of my own heart.