Learn the Lesson, and Let it Go!

Will Rogers was an American Humorist, who told truths in palatable ways such that the message – though often a strong one – was somehow more digestible than expected. This quote was a good reminder for me…

Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.

– Will Rogers 1935

I actually saw this from a friend’s FB feed. She made it her background image…so I took it and made it my own. I created this piece and spent time reminding myself that yesterday is over. Replaying, reliving, and reviewing any or everything that happened yesterday CAN take up too much of today. So stop doing it! (deep sigh!)

Which means we have to forgive and forget, let go and move forward. We have to give ourselves a break and learn the lessons. We have to let the tears fall, hug it out, smile in spite of the heartbreak AND forgive over and over again. We have to be willing to change, grow, express our feelings then let the chips fall where they might…and we may have to do all that for a while until we have left yesterday behind. The goal is not to get it right or make the other person ‘see’. The goal is being able to live a better life from lessons we learned AND to become wiser, kinder, more tolerant and patient with people and ourselves. It also means accepting that people may or may not ever change, and this situation or conversation may come back into play like a bad television rerun.

All that makes me think of patience – with ourselves and others. The smoothing of our rough edges and the disappointments we must admit and forgive in ourselves and those in our lives. It means facing the truth about humanity and knowing that it can get better, and yet might not. So we forgive, are patient, and trudge onward such that yesterday does not take up too much of today. For today is a precious commodity…don’t waste it on things that cannot be changed. Learn the lesson, and let it go!