This is my 4th Festival of Words. I’m not having a particular theme this time, but I shall travel down memory lane and revisit some posts I had written inspired by Write Tribe prompts. For an old Wednesday prompt at Write Tribe, on the topic, “Today I’ll begin…”, I had written this poem about a recurring dream. I write a longer piece on that same prompt today.
Then, Now and To Be…
WTFOW #5, Day 3
Today I’ll begin the rest of my life.
The past has gone. Some people have gone. I cannot change it. I know that. Now I have to accept that. I’ve tried as much as anyone possibly can. I’ve made mistakes. It’s normal. I cannot make that right either. That stumble, that misstep… that’s got me to today. There has been sorrow. There has been worry. There have been injuries. I cannot cry over it. A part of the present still has that. The future may hold them too. If I continue to mourn what has gone, I might not have the strength to face that future.
Today I’ll begin the rest of my life.
I know I have some people in my life who have always been there, who know me better than I do myself. They can tell what I am feeling even when I try to hide it behind a mask. They like me for who I am, and encourage me to be that person instead of changing. They are around when those wounds open again, for they know how to heal them. They see the sorrow and the worry and talk with me, give me hope. They know that the mistakes aren’t deal breakers. That those stumbles have changed the person I was.
Today I’ll begin the rest of my life.
As Harvey MacKay once said, “Life is too short to live with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about those who don’t. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes you, let it. Nobody said life would be easy. They just promised it would most likely be worth it.” It’s time to let go of those things that hold me back, to not pay attention to the unsought advice that people give me. At least one at a time, if not all together.
Today I’ll begin the rest of my life.
(© Vinay Leo R. @ I Rhyme Without Reason, 12th July 2016)
Vinay Leo R.
Poetry & writing to me are to me, a breath of fresh air in a life that is sometimes covered by the smoke of sorrow or self doubt. They also become the sweets I share to celebrate when life offers me a reason to. But most of all, they are to me, my life. For each word I write is a piece of my heart, a thought that just had to find its way into the world.
Amen to that! Past is past – lets make a pact to be happy for today!
Meena Menon recently posted…Cookiie Pie!
Yes. That’s the pact I am hoping to make for myself, Meena. 🙂
Going through Quarter-Life crisis, your post made me realize many things and also inspired me to sort out my priorities and ‘begin the rest of my life’!
Nibha recently posted…Daman – An Adventurous Start #WeekendGetaway #JourneyJournals
That makes me realize I’m well past the quarter-life crisis. (* oh dear, I’m old 😛 *)
Glad that it inspires you to sort out the priorities, Nibha. 🙂
ohh that’s how life is! Yeah let’s live the present to the fullest!
Tina Basu recently posted…Crispy Baked Basa Fillet
Thank you, Tina. 🙂
Make peace with the past, accept it and live for the present. Surely, it would be worth it in the end. Loved the line ‘Today I’ll begin the rest of my life.’ 😀
Dashy recently posted…The Lover – 3 of #Seven Ages
Thank you, Dashy. 🙂 It isn’t easy, but it is something we should do, make peace with the past. Glad you liked my post.
This is so true in each one of our lives. What has happened cannot be undone. Like the way you have put across your thoughts.
Trying too long to undo what has been undone is not going to help. 🙂 Glad you liked the thoughts, Reema.
Life is too short to be lived with regrets!
Very true. Thank you, C. TdeF.
Every day is a new day if we forget the regrets of yesterday…..Liked your style of narration….
Thank you, Sunaina. Glad you liked my narration style 😀
I need to remember this especially given where I’m at currently in life. I know life isn’t meant to be easy but there are times I wonder if it was meant to be this hard! It’s been a topsy-turvy kind of year and yes, there are regrets but more so, there are fears about the future.
Sanch @ Sanch Writes recently posted…The Write Life
I wonder the same at times, Babby, and I realize, life at times just needs a restart. And to do that, one needs to let go a lot of the regrets and fears that have come along on the journey as well. It helps to have good friends to support us through that phase too. Here’s hoping the rest of the year brings better tidings.
Vinay Leo R. recently posted…At Home with Books
You cannot do everything and achieve everything and be happy at the same time. Some things are lost, some people slip away. Yet life doesn’t end there. We need to move on.
Yes. I agree with you, Maddie. We do need to move on. But we tend to hold on, till we feel overwhelmed.