“Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, “It might have been.”
― Kurt Vonnegut

A subtle peace exists within us. It is like a well.

Deep and often dark, this well houses much of our inner longing. It is here in this space of stillness where one can find light amid the darkness and witness the essence of life.

This place is where the true voice that we may have once lost in our youth still lives.

We’ve all lost something. Be it a precious thing, a gift, a thought, a hope, a dream or even a love. But what we lose along our path never defines our journey entirely, and what we believe we have lost has never truly left us.

These are our memories, objects and affections. But they are not us.

Things come and go, as do people. But the heart remains full in its memory, and it always waits for us to once again uncover those gifts we travel throughout life with, knowingly or not.

Here in this deep place exists a sphere of legend. It is made of many things, and it is what makes us who we are, how we respond to life, to our world and to others.

One of my favorite books is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I’ve read it cover to cover more than a few times, and each time I read it I’m not only inspired, I learn something new about myself.

It is a story of life and of many other things, and how life doesn’t always go as planned. But beyond the timelessness of the book, it gives its reader a glimpse into his own well, into his own personal legend.

It is this legend that forms the verse that we write each and every day.

No matter where you’ve gone in life, what you hold dear, what you regret or what you have done, all of this has brought you here. It is by the sum of thought, decision, action and experience that forms our lives, and it is by this sum that we can stand firm now and be thankful for all we’ve been given in life, whether we deem it good or bad.

It doesn’t matter if you wish you hadn’t taken that job 20 years ago, or thrust yourself into a relationship with a certain person. If you hadn’t, what would be missing from your life now?

This is why regret is futile. It is an impossible thought that bears no fruit for anyone.

We write our legends each day, and each day we choose whether we go forward or backward, stay paralyzed with inaction, or move intrepidly, closer to our goals, our hopes and our dreams. It is now when we give our lives, life.

Personally, if I had been closed off to relationships, I would have never had children. And I cannot imagine life without them. If I had never traveled at the drop of a hat, I’d have an entirely different worldview. And I cannot imagine life defined by an experience that lacks culture.

We must all understand that no tragedy exists in our past. Though some of it may be painful to remember, it is what makes us who we are. What is buried in the well doesn’t always shine, but all of it brings us closer to our personal truth, and this is always beautiful.

It is in acceptance of this that we may begin to live fuller lives, free of regret.

Many decisions pass our lives each day, and each day we never know what the outcome will be. It is only through visiting the well and understanding who we truly are that we can make choices with a pure heart.

In doing this, we become the creators of our path. But it is still up to us to travel it well.

If you find that your past is defining your life it is then a duty for you to redefine it, here and now.

Here in this new decade, we will be faced with many choices. I only hope that we all choose to look within, find the truth that makes us who we are, and live with the wonder of life and all its beauty.

The past is a lesson. Now is where the magic begins.

Godspeed as you travel.