I like to think that any unpleasantness in my past has some potential benefit. With time and perspective, I like to think that negative outcomes can be shaped into something positive–they don’t have to be some evil ghost that lurks in the shadows and randomly messes with me. Their true purpose might be the polar opposite: to show me insight and guidance over a long-term span.

Maybe that’s a pipe dream. I don’t know. But sometimes, it’s become a reality. And if it’s just a fantasy, I’m fine with perpetuating my optimistic delusion.


Comments

28 responses to “Musings”

  1. “Negative outcomes can be shaped into something positive” – I think so too.

    Liked by 4 people

  2. Whatever you do, whether positive or negative, if you do it for your own entertainment – that’s reason enough. Matters not what other’s experience of it is.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. I have found this to be true in my life, even if it doesn’t look like it much at the time.

    Liked by 3 people

  4. Makes sense to me.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Yunno what they say, every cloud has a silver lining

    Liked by 1 person

  6. If you look at math and physics and understand what you’re seeing, all space exists at one point and all of time is simultaneous.
    What a terrible wondrous miracle it is that we get even a little slice of it. And these moments that get stuck in a loop in the electrical impulses in our mind defy the normal constraints of memory as well as time and space.
    Electricity can be cut off, reduced, weakened. And we can use that ill-gotten wisdom, those extra electrical pathways that the memories etched into our mind, as wisdom to move far past the people and moments and behavior that had us in a loop.

    I wish for all of us to experience this, beginning to end at least once. I think this hardship handled well makes us better people.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Very good point! I think about this a lot, as well as the irony that many just operate as if this wasn’t a base pillar of our existence.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. We certainly learn from the past.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Shel Carlene Avatar
    Shel Carlene

    I absolutely love this and think that any unpleasant experiences in the past – definitely contribute to good outcomes in the future, even if they’re just lessons learned and mistakes you know never to make again. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  9. It’s not through doing a task correctly that we learn, it’s through making mistakes and redoing it. Same with life. We learn and grow through our mistakes and setbacks.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. It’s not a pipe dream. But like being able to lift weights, it’s not a pipe dream. It also requires training. Lots of it.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Absolutely! I have a different perspective now. I see it all as a gift. Even my worst day, is a gift. Perspective is everything.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Beautiful way to think about it!

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Ariana Avatar
    Ariana

    Sounds like a very happy perspective to take…wishing you a wonderful day 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

    1. It is indeed! Thank you, and I hope your day is wonderful as well!

      Liked by 2 people

  13. Ariana Avatar
    Ariana

    Thanks 😀

    Liked by 2 people

  14. I believe that it is what we do today that matters most. Mistakes are inevitable, and a valuable tool for growth.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Some of the best written, recorded and filmed plots are based on this. I agree.

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Chelsea C. Walker Avatar
    Chelsea C. Walker

    I’ve definitely felt like the past is a heavy ball and chain, constantly weighing me down and pulling me back. But, as time has gone on, and healing has occurred, I realize that all of those awful experiences have shaped who I am today and made me more compassionate and patient, etc. It has helped me to consider that (and this may sound cheesy, but it’s true) every hero’s journey has intense struggle and conflict–it’s what makes the hero the hero. We can’t have the victories without failures. Everything has its opposite. So, all that is to say, the past doesn’t pull me back like it once did. It’s a process, though. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. They are very relatable.
    And thank you so much for the likes on my tiny, invisible-to-the-rest-of-the-world blog. I can’t tell you how encouraging they are!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Great perspective! I like to think of failures as clarifications. It’s kind of ironic–I think it’s important to feel the negativity and process it, but after a certain point, that becomes counterproductive. It’s really about staying present and being in touch with intuition, I think.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Chelsea C. Walker Avatar
        Chelsea C. Walker

        Yes! I agree.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. I employ my demons. As writers, we can make those bitches pay for rent in our heads.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. For anticipating negative outcomes, I would call depression.

      Thank you for liking my poem!

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Pretty much the same perspective potential employers expect you to have in an interview when it comes to your‘weaknesses’ I guess🤷‍♂️

    Like

  19. gwengrant Avatar
    gwengrant

    To take good from a bad experience takes a long time to happen. But it’s so worth it.

    Gwen.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Indeed! I think it may be a matter of relaxing and appreciating. For me, at least.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Was it not Sri Yoganrnda who said, “Only that which is the other gives us fully unto ourselves.”

    Liked by 1 person

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