Life Lessons

Three Essential Parts of Life

The past, the present, and the future

On Tuesday, I talked to my therapist about the struggles of getting older. I told him that in college, life was much easier because I was full of hope and optimism. But now that I’m in my 30s, I have had plenty of difficult experiences — abuse, rejection, depression, disappointments, and humiliation. The number of times I’ve experienced these things is something my younger self never would have fathomed.

My therapist reminded me that even though life seems more challenging now, I have become wiser and stronger. A part of me understands what he was saying. Life gives me opportunities to learn and grow. If I get stuck in the past, I will cling to my 20-something mentality and expectations. I will not be able to accept the present and look forward to the future.

The past may have seemed easier than the present, but I didn’t look at the big picture. There were a lot of hard times. There was a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. My present self doesn’t process that because I don’t want to relive the struggles; I just want to relive the good times. But by consuming myself with the good times from the past, I will mourn over the things I no longer have. I will miss the pleasant experiences and exciting opportunities that are in front of me right now.

Regardless of how I feel about different seasons in life, they are all important. The past prepares us for the present; the present prepares us for the future. They all have to exist to make our lives whole. Life is not just hard, easy, good, or bad. It is each of those things at different times.

Key message: Life is not always wonderful, easy, and ideal. But it is always full of lessons. Getting older allows us to learn more of those lessons. Accepting everything that was, is, and will be helps us to experience a full life.

Thank you for reading this article. To read more of my content, check out the links below.

• https://readmedium.com/my-current-insights-on-difficult-journeys-3478fa710f06
• https://readmedium.com/what-i-want-most-this-year-faith-during-hard-times-aabe642081a4
• https://readmedium.com/processing-grief-through-reflection-support-and-faith-f8590c65e176

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