The beauty of the past and present

As I walked the city I had lived in for 15 years total, so many memories came back to me. There were special periods in my life in Stockholm that I knew were special somehow & now looking back, I see how special they were and in what way. Even when you are appreciating the memories you are making, the context changes as we live our lives & things evolve. There are meanings, lessons, learnings, nuances that become more evident when you can look back at them. It’s like the lens gets wider and you can see how things relate.

One day during my visit I went out to meet some friends in a pretty new area in Stockholm. I hadn't been there for years. The last time I was there, it was just being built. Now it was like its own little city on the water and it was quite amazing to see how it had transformed. On the way on the tram, I passed a dear friend’s old apartment and remembered the many visits I had with her there, before I lived in Stockholm and then all the dinners we had together when I did live in there. I remember staying there for 2 weeks while she was gone and I had decided to move back. I remembered all the times we had picnics out on the rocks overlooking the water & all the different friends who joined us during those years.

The memories were flowing during my entire trip and it was almost like watching a good movie. I could almost hear the soundtrack. As I was re-connecting with these memories and meeting my friends and making new memories, I felt so much. And most of all, I felt connection – connection to all the people who made my time in Sweden what it was and connection to me and to the person I was while I was there.

I see how much having that experience has shaped who and where I am now. It’s not totally clear, actually. I’m still processing and the lessons and learnings are still coming. What I do know, though, is that we often hear not to dwell on the past. And I thoroughly agree that it rarely serves us to DWELL on the past. However, it can be an excellent idea to re-visit it now and then and to follow your journey a bit.

What memories or periods in your life would you like to re-visit and learn from? Think back to that time and answer these questions or any others that feel relevant: What made your life rich back then and what were you most missing? How does that compare to where you are now? What is your biggest learning from that time in your life? How did that time lead you to where you are and who you are now?