As we move through different stages in our life, it's only natural that we look back at the path we've already walked and wonder.
As human beings, we dissect all that we have done, are doing, and want to do. It's very natural. What isn't natural is living in the moments that have passed us by and sit in regret of the decisions we've made and the path we have chosen to walk. The dangerous thing about looking back is forgetting to ever look forward again. I am certainly guilty of this.
The older I get, the more I look back and wish so much that I could do my entire life over again. Of course, there were great moments as well as bad ones but, I still remain firm in the fact that if I had the chance, I'd erase it all and start anew. To get it right this time, to be truer to me, to protect my self-worth a little better. I've felt like this for a long, long time and always felt bad about it. Again, I don't believe I am alone in this thought, as I know that many of us wish or the same thing.
Then it hit me. We all have regrets. The past is just that but, it doesn't mean that it is all lost. We can start over again. We can be "re-born". We can absolutely change the course of our lives. We hold the power to do that now, every day. We don't have to wish to go back and start over to be or live differently. We can choose to be happy, free, or love again. We don't have to be the product of the past environment we were born (or placed ourselves) into. Sometimes, all we really need to do is wash our face.
"Wash your face! A biblical metaphor that explains that we should not carry on with everyday life, wearing the sins, regrets, and sorrows of our past. Sometimes as human beings we try to mask the pain we carry with smiles and laughter but the universe sees everything. God sees everything. And how can we be ready to receive the future or be grateful for our current blessings if we are riddled with sorrows and regrets of our past? Simply put, you cannot. If your heart, mind, and spirit are not ready to receive new things, new blessings, then they will pass you by and there you will forever sit - in the presence of your past. By washing your face, you leave behind the reflection of what once was (good or bad), to make room for what can be.
I cannot tell you how many times I have been in crowds of people, surrounded by those I know, laughing and smiling, having a good moment, and individuals have come up to me asking if I was "alright". Being concerned that my eyes looked sad and that I seemed unhappy. This always takes me by surprise. "How can they see that? How do they know?" I always wondered about that. I suppose I believed that I was hiding/masking my true feelings so masterfully, but that couldn't be further from the truth. No matter how hard you try sometimes, your true essence always comes through.
I don't want to mask anything anymore. I just want to wash my face and be free.
So, I write this and put it out there in the universe today, in hopes that others like me, will see it. It's time to leave our past behind and be free of our regrets. No matter how skillful you think you are, you cannot hide from your heart. People can see right through your eyes, as many have mine. They are the windows to the soul, after all.
Perhaps it's time that we all take a moment and clean up our lives.
Have you washed your face lately? It could be time to do so.
