Looking Backwards

It is said that one should look forward and not backwards... looking behind you can cause you to miss the things in front of you and possibly cause you to stumble and fall. While I do agree that for those of us who are talented enough to trip on nothing, looking forward is definitely a good idea, I also think there is some validity and insight to be found from looking back.

Let me explain-

I spend my work day in the back of an ambulance. Very rarely do I drive, so my time at work (which is 12+ hour shifts for a week straight) is spent watching the world go by in reverse. Most of my patients are regulars and I see them three times a week at least. I know about their grandkids and when their next doctor appointment is scheduled. I know who has high blood pressure and what their heart rate normally is. I know that my old man's son is coming to visit this weekend and my little old lady's daughter moved in down the road last week. However, ask me for directions to their houses and I am at a loss...

I have know idea how to get to where most of the patients live!!!  Unless of.course, the ambulance is going backwards and then I can get you where ever you need to go. This thought just tickled me. Here I am, a trained medical professional who can't get to her patients residence going forward.  Hmmmmm...

So I got to thinking about all this and how it relates to life in general. Well, obviously looking in a forward direction allows you to see where you are going. Everyone needs to know where they are headed. Looking forward means you can see most of the bumps in the road and the curves you have to navigate up ahead. And that is all necessary and beneficial.  If you can see what's coming you can make plans.

Plans are good things to have. I truly believe that statement. Yet, having spent a majority of my time watching the world fly by backwards, I must ponder and comment of the good things about a life looked at in reverse.

First, one should always remember where they come from.  Roots are important things- they keep you grounded and connected. One would be nothing without an original source to come from and return to again. Roots (or whatever you call where you came from) are the base on which you build your life. Whether things were good or bad, the events and people of your forging had a part to play in who and where you are today. In remembering and looking at where you came from you are able to see how far you have come.

Second, you may not always know where you are going but should always know where you have been. Knowing where one has been allows you to evaluate the path you are currently on and decided if the way you came was worth it or if that way is better left as a one time trip. There are plenty of ways to get there from here. Some of the ways you have taken may have been rough and bumpy which teaches you not to go down that road again. Every now and then you find a road that is smooth sailing. Make note of such paths and revisit if you can but also know that true growth and change rarely come from the good times. It.is during the hard and painful times that one finds the catalyst to blossom.

Finally, sometimes it is just plain nice to see the world from a different view. What is in the past should stay in the past because it is truly a moment gone by but you should never.forget what the past has taught you. To learn from ones mistakes is to ensure they are not repeated. However, if you never take the time to stop and look backwards over your life you may never see the blessings that you once viewed as curses.

So, in honor of my days spent seeing the world go by in a reverse blur, I am going to be grateful today for my past. It surely hasn't always been sunshine and roses but it has been an adventure.

Don't dwell in the past and what is behind you but make sure not to forget it or look backwards and remember now and again.

Have a great Wednesday!

Wishing everyone well from the back of the ambulance!