In life we are always told that it is best to move forward. Lingering too long in the past can be unhealthy for sure. But sometimes it’s okay to take a step back.
Recently a high school friend posted a photo to a social networking site that brought back a lot of memories. There I was featured in the middle of two good friends looking like I had stepped straight out of the 80’s! I was wearing black and white polka dot pants and my makeup free face featured a goofy smile as I hugged my two best girl friends. I looked like I had not a worry in the world. I think I was 18 at the time and was probably preparing for graduation. Not that my world was so carefree back then. I had normal teenage angst coupled with a very turbulent home life, but in that moment nothing mattered but smiling and laughing with my friends.
Fast forward to now and I’m still smiling but I have way more things to think about. Fulfilling my promise as a writer, keeping a roof over my head and making sure I’m getting better as a person each year in all areas of my life is more challenging than I ever thought it would be.
As we work to continually achieve and grow we sometimes forget the miles we’ve traveled, the hurdles we’ve jumped and the races we’ve won. Especially when we feel like we’re in a holding pattern where nothing is moving. Then just at the right time the universe and God sends us messages we need to kick start our belief systems again.
Shortly after I saw the photo that brought back so much nostalgia I received a friend request on the same social site from my drama teacher from high school! Miss Gloria Cunningham was without a doubt my favorite teacher. I hadn’t heard from her in ages and it was just the memory spark I needed. She wrote a beautiful comment on my page that I will cherish forever that brought back memories of an audition I had in the ninth grade. My mind went spinning back in time to the day when I stood on the stage and delivered a monologue that would either land me in the drama club or send me running out of the auditorium in embarrassment. Thankfully I did well that day and made it into the club. Remembering the courage I had to step before her and my peers to express myself brought back feelings of pride. I remembered my carefree nature, my ability to overcome adversity and my passion for the arts.
I’ve changed so much since those days. My confidence is stronger, I’ve had some successes and the foundation I’ve laid is solid despite the wobbly state of the world today. Even though the ground beneath me may shake I have always had what it takes to withstand any storm.
I too am a believer in living in the now and not dwelling too long on matters of the past, but every now and then I will allow myself to backtrack just a little bit. There’s nothing wrong with moon-walking down memory lane as long as you bring the things you’ve learned back with you into the present and apply them properly.
Remember the time…
12/25/1985: Me, Miss Cunningham and my friend Teri Turner (RIP)
© 2010 – 2014, TamekaMullins. All rights reserved.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.