Experience

We all have would’ve’s and should’ves. Think about Adam and Eve. Don’t you imagine they would like to take that seemingly innocent bite of an apple back?

Remember the words of Milton at the end of Paradise Lost. He wrote “The world was all before them, where to choose? Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.” I counsel and talk to people who have huge regrets, and have a lot of concern for their future. The message I try to convey, but is hard to believe, is that they do ”have their whole world before them, and Providence will be their guide” if they can only take that first step beyond the past.

Everything we experience should be viewed as related, if we are open to something beyond our original intentions and are paying attention to the myriad of possibilities. All the walks I have taken, all the experiences I’ve had, including the devastating ones, are part of who I am at this very moment. If I can draw myself up one more time, or respond with a whole heart to the beauty of this world, or I can engage with humanity with a new perspective, (which I can), then there is something in life that I can add, and life can add to mine.

Monday, is always a good day to affirm the present, forget the second-guessing of the past, and step forward into your unique future. You have your “whole world before” you, simply let Providence be your guide.

About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.

Leave a Reply +

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *