I’ve enjoyed reading an old novel by George Stewart, Earth Abides. It’s apocalyptic. Virus wipes out much of the population. It’s the story of survival. Equally, it’s the story of man’s decaying infrastructure and how the natural world responds.
Don’t ask me how many times I’ve read it, perhaps a dozen? It came out in 1949, and shows up on my radar every so often.
For some reason, I’ve paused every few pages, underlined, earmarked, and shared some of the quotes that stop and make me think.
Now, I’m not thinking end of the world, but when you consider how life changes on a dime, you should sometimes think about your options.
How do you move forward?
Sadly, and in this book, we see many do not have the coping mechanisms to move forward. They are stuck in the past, wearing blinders, struggling with the dawning of the new day.
Life. Changes. All the time, and we must learn to change with it. Else we are stuck in the past that decays.
Adaptation
So. How do we adapt? It’s difficult. I’m not a proponent of tossing the past for the sake of change. I struggle with letting loose. Old technology. Antiques. Collections. Memories.
Yesterday, while going through paperwork for this years tax season, a corner of an envelope fell to the floor. My sister’s address. I cannot toss it, but I don’t know what to do with it. I set it aside. Handle it later, I will.
Dismissing the past seems so wrong, on so many levels. That’s part of my life, even as I move forward with change! Click To TweetLooking around my office I realize that I’m anchored to what my past contained. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I don’t want to live back there. I want to live as Paul. Forgetting the past. Living in the present. Reaching forward.
Still, that sounds too dismissive of the past.
Paul deals with the negatives and poor choices, not the good memories nor bad memories…
I turn to another stack, and there’s Dad’s memorial service details. Now. I’ve saved these “brochures” of all services and I can easily put this into that folder. But I’m not ready. Just yet
Anchors Away
Somehow we must live with the anchors of our past that make us who we are today. Then, live today like it’s the most important day on our schedule. Step through it. Aim for tomorrow.
Really… This was my yesterday. Now I’m living in the present, and reaching for tomorrow.
I can so identify with this. Some things you don’t want to let go of. They were good memories and we want to hang on to them.