…a look back is a lesson too!

When you work full time, you have a keen sense of how many days left until you finally get a vacation. The time arrives and you eventually get to head somewhere (anywhere) that isn’t work. You’ve got your trusty camera (on your phone) and discover new locations and things you didn’t know.  You snap that picture, admire it and if you’re like me, you never look at it again.  Maybe you glance at the image one day and have a small moment of reflection.  Your life is so busy with planning for tomorrow, for that next project, or job.  It’s filled with the needs of family and what are we going to do and there is no time to look back! What I did is long past and everything I discovered or learnt on that trip, regardless of what it was, is a distant memory.

Even in my busy retirement life, I still find myself thinking mostly about tomorrow and what’s ahead.  This week, I needed to distract my brain from the COVID news of the day and what the curve is doing. The distraction I sought out became my Life Lesson 102 for the week.  It was unexpected and so simple.  I was able to learn so much just by using my favorite photos from my albums.  Looking at those images, I kind of remembered the moment when I said to myself…I did not know that…until then.  I looked again, intrigued by that interesting piece of architecture or work of art.  I have favorite photos that showcased a new country’s culture we experienced for the first time.  With each photo I saw things that reminded me how with each trip, I discovered something I didn’t know about before.  Those looks into the past, using the photos, forced me to reflect and therefore relearn and remember all the wonderful lessons I had in that moment.

When I started this journey to learn something new every month, after I turned 60, I never thought we’d be isolated for months.  It’s hard to go out to learn, when everything is on lock down and everyone is staying home.  Since the world is usually so busy planning forward, I forgot I had so much to learn from the past. This week’s new Isolation Track is paired with a journey back to places I have been that retaught me something about the destination and even as important, about myself.

Maybe this whole COVID experience will help us understand what we have is just as important as what we can have. Each moment right now it just as important as the ones coming. I didn’t think my Life Lessons 102 at 60 would  become a refresher from the past…but it has and that’s a pretty cool experience.

Track 6  is an energetic upbeat song from Andy Krammer I like to listen to when I need a bit of motivation.  It feels so positive, I hope you enjoy it!  The rest of the songs from my Isolation Play list are listed after the video below.  The videos  I made for each of those awesome songs are posted on the previous blog post, so just scroll down and check those out.  Thanks for checking this out, and if you have a song that motivates you or makes you feel something special, I’d love to hear what it is.  I’m always looking for new music so post a link in the comments or just tell me what it is and I’ll check it out! Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and Stay Home!

JOHN’S ISOLATION PLAY LIST

(Click the link to add the song to your collection & check out the videos posted in previous posts for a nice break)

Track 1 – Stay Safe Stay Healthy

Track 2 – A True Life Lesson 102

Track 3 – Farmer John 102

Track 4 – A little bit of Hope

Track 5 – A bit of sunshine

Track 6 – A look back is a Lesson