text: I've lived a hundred lives in one life, no telling how many before. Time has always been an illusion, and one I am not too fond of. My first life was as an awful child, perhaps my second, considering I was once a babe; even a third, as the womb was my first home, though I remember it not. You know how the progression goes. Why should I miss any of it? Why does anyone tarry in nostalgia? Perhaps to hold onto a past they carry in their hearts anyway? Trinkets and trivial weight they unnecessarily burden themselves with, making each step forward more rigid and inflexible. Nostalgia affirms you to only one path, preventing sight of the less beaten tracks of risk and adventure. Holding on to what is gone can only hold you back. The race is hard enough without the pain of remembrance. Each life is nothing more than the lesson of the day. Occurrences are to be studied and transversed into knowledge to pass the test of tomorrow, which will be another lesson unto itself. Each lesson is harder than the lesson before, constantly reaching for a graduation that is always out of grasp. I say this as if you don't realize it's true, but you do. The words don't come from judgment because I have been where you are. I struggled to reach a destination burdened by nostalgia, leaving parts of my soul along a weary well-worn path. I can only hope that the discarded remnants of my past were found by other weary travelers, who admired the pain I endured and grew from it as I did. Life is nothing more than a journey of these lessons, each one building upon the last. It's crucial to recognize that the past can be a valuable source of knowledge, but dwelling on it can hold you back from achieving your full potential. I've learned from my struggles, but discarded hanging on to the wound itself. I have learned that holding onto what's gone will only hinder my progress toward a brighter future. The key to success is to use the lessons of the past to move forward confidently and embrace new challenges with an open mind. I encourage you to take risks, explore new opportunities, and focus on the present and future. The road may not always be smooth, but with the right mindset, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. "Is this nostalgia or did I create it?" Reflecting on the nature of life also means reminiscing. The difference lies in whether you learn from the knowledge gained and move forward, or get stuck in it. For me, the choice has always been crystal clear, unlike the rose-tinted versions of the past. Could I have learned to walk if I had not crawled first? After I learned to walk, I did not go back to crawling. Similarly, I did not continue wearing the same soiled diapers from my past. As I grew older, I no longer relied on the milk of youth, but instead learned to digest the meat that was necessary for my growth. I value the process of growth and the lessons I have learned along the way. I know how to nourish my soul and thrive. That is where the true challenge lies. Once I began my walk, I explored with abandon. Fire was hot, and water was wet, when combined they diminished each other. These are things I learned, and I became cautious with my steps...but I touched them both again. I became aware of their necessity and powers. I learned that childhood is necessary as well. An existence covered in the illusion of protection but harmed despite them. We are walking wounds until we are healed, but at least we have learned not to run. Understanding we are constantly evolving into a higher form of ourselves is essential to healthy growth. Shedding the wounds of the past set us free to grow into the healthy individuals we were meant to be. Nostalgia brings sorrow to the heart. It's like walking backward on a twisted trail. You can only navigate the path by visualizing it before you. By walking backwards you are doomed to trip and stumble over things you would have seen if facing forward. Avoid new wounds and scars by embracing the future before you. The simple definition of nostalgia is a sentimental longing. Being sentimental is walking around drenched in your emotions. It sparks deep compassion and exposes you to both pain and joy. It's part of the process of awareness. Understanding others and yourself. It is your path, the steps you've taken to get where you are. It is not where you are now. You long for something you can never have back, the past. There are better ways to experience your emotions. Express them, don't suppress them. They will burn like a fire until they ignite a bomb you cannot extinguish. Let go of the chains that hold you back or you will be caught in the explosion. Move forward like a prisoner who has finally been set free and explore the future you deserve. Remember that nostalgia is just a fleeting sentiment. Store the lesson in your heart but move boldly forward leaving the past where it belongs. Behind you. I can't afford to be nostalgic. The cost is too much, too painful, too unchangeable for me to waste my time. Although we live many lives, each one is fleeting and barely passes like a breath before it ends. The true question is who you are within that fragile breath. Nostalgia locks you into becoming nothing but your past. How much more could you have been if you had simply let go of the invisible hands that held you back? There is still time. Live the life you've been given and move forward confident about the future. At the very least, when you take that last breath, there will be no regrets. Isn't that enough?