Get past the past

Hey.

Its been awhile.  Last time I was attempting to reflect on my year in Haifa.  Next thing you know, two months have passed.  Back home I would have the privilege of  observing clear indicators of the passage of time through the turning of leaves and gradual (or even sudden!) dip in temperatures.  I’m more of a fan of the temperate months than the extremes of summer and winter.  Fall is for the start of sweatshirt season, an increase in the enjoyment of drinking warm beverages and the inevitable flurry of holidays that act as stepping stones leading toward the coming year.   While in Israel things do get a little cooler and the change in atmosphere brings on the much needed rain of the season, it’s not the same, but it’s what I have, and being here is something that continues to grow on me, particularly as of late.

This has been the week of forgetfulness, almost every night ending in me leaving groceries or something at another person’s flat.  The latest item that has gone missing is my flash drive which I have no recollection of really misplacing.   Guess my head has been in other places.  I’ve been thinking a lot about old thoughts and habits that may have served a purpose at some point but are now obselete or in need of revision.  Quite often we react to situations in terms of our past, and we anticipate from the beginning how something is going to turn out.  Sometimes those conclusions, if gathered with a discerning eye, provide insight into the situations we face.  However, if we don’t revisit those conclusions on a regular basis we can fall into the trap of  boxing ourselves into inescapable habits.

It’s hard not to psych ourselves out of changing.  In fact it’s much easier to remain as we are, whether we’re given good results or not.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Slowly but surely I’m trying to implement that mindset in regards to my own life.  I got all nostalgic recently thinking of the people in my life, friends from back home, most of them who are still in my life and some who aren’t, who have been warm and encouraging over the years.  I’d like to think that their time has been put to good use.

Yeah, I used to think that I may have not been capable of standing on my own in certain situations or have the ability to do one thing or another.  Instead of  picking at my weaknesses, maybe it’s about time to get past the past.