“The past is never where you think you left it.” ― Katherine Anne Porter
Our past shapes our present. But, the present also shapes our past.
Gaining new experiences changes the memories and narratives we’ve constructed about our past experiences.
This is what David Ray beautifully illustrates in the opening lines of his poem "Thanks, Robert Frost":
Do you have hope for the future?
someone asked Robert Frost, toward the end.
Yes, and even for the past, he replied,
that it will turn out to have been all right
Sometimes, instead of leaving the past behind, its serves us better to re-visit it with wisdom gained from the present.