I'd be better off...

Do you ever find yourself dwelling on all the things you wished you would have done differently? I sometimes do. Caught in this cycle, my mind regurgitates painful memories of past mistakes and misfortunes. Nothing is accomplished by thinking about how I could have bettered these bygone pieces of my life; however, I go over details about them time and again until I exhaust my mental capabilities. Worry drains me of energy and joy. Reliving certain events is strictly self-imposed torture. It serves little purpose to even attempt to heal the scars my problems have left. I guess when I dredge up ugly details, I think some introspective recontact will magically change the past and make everything better. How dumb I am to think negatively when I realize positive thinking involves walking away from those things I cannot change and, at best, learning from my mistakes. The philosopher and poet Omar Khayyam wrote: "The moving finger writes, and having written moves on. Nor all thy piety nor all thy wit, can cancel half a line of it." When viewed in relation to a person's past, the quote speaks volumes. Nothing can reverse that which has already occurred: A painful lesson learned through the experience of living an imperfect life. The Serenity Prayer also offers peace to the troubled mind.

Serenity Prayer:

God give me the "grace" to accept things I cannot change.

Give me the "courage" to change the things I can change.

And the "wisdom" to know the difference.

I may (and probably will) fall victim to worrying about the past again, but I do know God offers me comfort and forgiveness for everything I have messed up. So, now when I "drop the ball," I tell myself I will catch the next pass and run it to the end zone.