We are always told to live in the moment, and that nothing good ever comes from overthinking about our past. But the thing is, how can we not dwell too much on the past, when that makes up so much of who we are in the present? When you think about it, every single decision that we have made, or has ever been made for us, has helped to place us where we are today. Some of these decisions may not seem so difficult to make at the time, but the path that we are on could be drastically different had we not made the exact choice. Some may be more fortunate than others, having a simpler past, but all the same we dwell maybe a little too often then is good for our mental health. We may find ourselves re-reading through old text messages, replaying every situation that possibly could have played out, and constantly wondering what could’ve been. The past is filled with so many memories that sometimes it’s hard to resist the urge to go back and revisit them. At times I find myself wondering how we can move forward without crashing into something, while we are so fixated on something behind us?

Admittedly, as the over thinker that I am, I always over analyze most of the situations that I go through. Laying awake at night thinking about all the things that could be different if something had played out in a different way then it had, is something that I catch myself constantly doing. As I grow older, even by the day, I realize that some things happen for a reason. These reasons may not always seem so clear while they happen, but when looking back we can sometimes formulate a reason as to why so many things make sense. Some light can finally be shined on something that may have caused us so much confusion at an earlier time.

One thing that I firmly believe is that people come into our lives for a certain reason. Maybe they come in at a time that was unexpected. We meet this person and may not expect for them to be anything more then just another person that we meet and forget about. It is crazy to think how different life would be without the people that I met only a year ago. When I met these people I most likely don’t realize the impact that they would play on my life – but boy was I wrong. I’m not sure what I would do without them because they are what makes everyday a beautiful and admittedly sometimes chaotic adventure. But the thing is, without them I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. The people that we meet only add to our journey. They bring new insights about life from the situations that they have gone through, helping us along the bumps we may hit along the road. When people first enter our lives we may think that we need them, but sometimes, as it might turn out, they may need us more.

Despite everything that we might have been through since we’ve met, lessons were learned, friendships were made, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. So it’s sometimes funny to think; What if I wasn’t in the lounge studying that night? What if I wasn’t in that boring class? What if I didn’t live down the hall? What if I wasn’t from New Jersey? The answer to these questions are ones that I don’t necessarily find myself searching for because if these weren’t a part of my life, a lot of important people wouldn’t be a part of it either, and my life would be completely different. The thing is, I like it just the way it is.

From the words of Carrie Bradshaw,

“Eventually all the pieces fall into place… until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment, and know that everything happens for a reason.”

“Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out precisely how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens.”

“Maybe the past is like an anchor holding us back. Maybe, you have to let go of who you were to become who you will be.”

“In life we do things. Some we wish we had never done. Some we wish we could replay a million times in our heads. But they all make us who we are, and in the end they shape every detail about us. If we were to reverse any of them, we wouldn’t be the person we are. So just live. Make mistakes. Have wonderful memories. But never ever second guess who you are, where you have been, and most importantly where it is you’re going.”