Embracing the Unknown: The Value of Moving Forward in Life
Walking down 34th street to my secretarial job on Tenth Avenue, I felt a rush of happiness. Just a short while ago, I had received a promotion to secretary to the head of the department, got a raise, and loved my job. My lunch dates with Rosemarie, another secretary, were the highlight of my day. Furthermore, I was madly in love and it was spring, my favorite season. The sun shone, trees sprouted green leaves, and construction workers whistled at me as I strolled past.
Would I choose to stay in those days forever?
No, of course not. While those were indeed some of the happiest moments of my life, there's always the possibility of better days to come. I wouldn’t want to miss out on future experiences by rehashing past memories. Glorious moments and nostalgia can consume you if you allow them to do so.
You can’t truly appreciate the happiest moments of your life without the pain, failures, sorrow, and misery that came before or followed. Reflecting on the past can rob us of the potential future happiness that lies ahead.
A lesson I've learned is to always choose to move forward into the unknown. I have led a remarkably lucky life, and I intend to continue expressing my gratitude in whatever manner fate sees fit.
I don’t want to “fast forward” in my life. At 73, time is going to go by fast enough on its own. I don’t need any help "re-winding" my life either—thank you very much. I have many happy memories that are very vivid, and I don’t need a rerun of any happy moments. I intend to relive all of them in the future, but I don’t want to get stuck in the past.
Leaving the Past Behind
There are many reasons why moving forward is essential. If you stay stuck in the past, you can miss out on future opportunities and experiences that may be even more fulfilling. My father-in-law tried to relive his younger days, but he remained stuck in a time when he was naive, carefree, and satisfied with simpler life. This approach didn’t serve him well. Instead, he should have continued to grow and explore, similar to my own experience as a dreamer and explorer.
Looking Back at Happiest Moments
Take me, for example. My happiest moments have changed over time. At age 10, it was the excitement of my brother’s birth. At 17, it was high school graduation, passing all my exams, and leaving France to study English in the UK for nine months. At 21, it was receiving my unconditional offer from a UK university, one of my biggest dreams. At 22, it was my first encounter with pilot whales and dolphins while volunteering on Tenerife. My most recent happy memory is this whole summer, having a job that I adored, making friends with all my colleagues, and traveling around Malta. Would I go back to any of these moments? Absolutely, I would love to relive all of them. Would I stay in them forever? No. I know I have even happier moments and experiences to come. I will embrace them and be a happy 90-year-old grandma with plenty of wild and exciting stories to share with my grandchildren.