Memories…. pleasant? Unhappy? Some memories make you laugh. Some make you cry. But all memories evoke a response, a reaction from you – they are always laden with emotions. That’s not a negative statement… or a positive one, it is a given.
Many times they come unbidden – triggered by a song, a smell, some words, a picture – and you are transported back to that time and with those people. Sometimes they come as a result of our own attempt to remember. My point is that we all have memories, they can evoke a strong reaction, and they do impact on our now. Example: if what we are remembering had a positive outcome then we are more willing to act accordingly at this moment. If our experience was negative then we are more likely to hesitate to continue.
One question is – once they come, what do you do with them? Savor? Repulse? …and all the other emotions on that continuum. I’ve also discovered that memories can evoke two diametrically opposed emotions at the same time. And both may be partially true. Since memories provide us information, that’s how they should be viewed – as a reminder of what was but only if a behavior is repeated is it a harbinger of what will be.
Memories are our glimpses of what was. They can become springboards for future decisions but… they should never rule! Actually what I try to do is to accept them for what they are at that moment, and then move on. Sometimes I actually succeed at doing this.
