“How you choose to go about yesterday is your choice”

New York subway’s are littered with all forms of inspiration, surprises and occasionally incredible wisdom.  On a recent trip, at the start of this New Year, I was inspired by this simple yet profound piece of subway graffiti.  I read it and it resonated.  One of those “wow, how true” moments.

The last time a scribbled graffiti phrase caught my attention  was in San Francisco in 1984.  It read “Visualize Blindness”  Simple yes, yet so “impactful”.   It has stayed with me all of these years.  I suspect this piece of quickly scribbled subway graffiti is destined to stick just as ‘solidly’ in my brain.

Yesterday, that thing that buoys us up, inspires us forward  or keeps us stuck and circling like hamsters in a cage. So many life events that  take us, mostly without our consent, to some of the most frightening/ devastating or happy/uplifting life places.  The bookmarks are easily found when we begin to take stock.

Recently, sitting around chatting  with my dearest and closest friends who were visiting highlighted the truth of this subway phrase.  My partner, Joanne asked the question ” How far ahead do you think we really can comprehend?  Is it 2 years, 5 years, 10 years?” This simple question started a lively and interesting discussion.  It also resulted in a collective review of the previous 5 years.

In five years, we had collectively experienced the loss of 3 sets of parents, one brother and one sister, had survived cancer, lost jobs, retired, started new businesses, won awards for our work, recovered from illness, lost pets, become great aunts many times over, watched other family members struggle and thrive and gained new lives in different places with new friends who knew none of this history. It was a sobering yet heart warming re-cap.

The evening and the conversation was a confirmation of the importance of old friends and the importance of history.  Through our choices we had cemented a relationship with each other and forged it into this wonderful life connection.    We were all astounded at what we had experienced is such a short period of time.  Yet here we were laughing, having fun and generally enjoying what our lives  and decisions had delivered to us.  No regrets in the room.

How you choose to go about yesterday is your choice.   What choices are you making?   In a nano second the future becomes the present and just as quickly becomes the past.   Every breathing minute you are creating your past.  Your choices on how you want to live will directly impact how you choose to go about yesterday.  What’s your choice?

http://