I was scrolling through Pinterest today looking for aesthetics for a New Year resolution page. I wanted to make goals and accomplish them. Feel good about myself.

Then suddenly I was hit with words and images I couldn’t believe.

No, they weren’t inappropriate or anything. However, the pages were filled with phrases like:

“forget the past year and make something new this year”

“don’t let 2023 follow you into 2024. Free yourself!”

I don’t know about you guys but gosh, I kinda liked 2023. There were really bad times and really good times. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” or something like that.

So should we really put the past behind us? Forget 2023 like it never happened?

Personally, I don’t want to ever forget 2023 or 2022 or 2021. I’ve learned SO much from those years. They were rough, yeah. Do I want to remember all the mistakes I made or the stupid stuff I did? No not really. But if you take those experiences away along with the reminders of the bad choices, good choices, bad things, and good things that happened. If you blot it out with a pen and write over it with acrylic paint, what have you gained? Nothing. And you’ve lost so much.

So don’t live in the past. Rather keep it with you and let it be a reminder of how to navigate the next year. Look to the future with hope and look to the past for wisdom.

And have a great 2024!