EPISODE · Sep 13, 2019 · 14 MIN

The Past Does Not Want You

from The Tao of Jun · host The Tao of Jun

There's an episode of the Twilight Zone called The Trouble with Templeton. It's about a man who can't let go of his past. Then one day he is suddenly transported back to his past. But is wife and best friend, both of whom he missed dearly, treated him so badly. They were dismissive, mean, and extremely rude to him. Then he comes back to his original time and realizes that they were all just acting in order to get him to come back to the present moment. To live his life fully. To stop living in the past. Stop wishing things were the way they used to be. So that he could take full ownership of his life right now, and live it to the best of his ability. He learned that the past does not want him there. But the present moment needs him here. This was exactly the lesson that I needed last night. While I was walking my dogs, I started to feel sad reminiscing about my daughters. Remembering the times we had and missing them so much. Then I remembered this lesson, and brought myself back to the present moment. I stood up tall, acknowledged my dogs, admired the forest all around me, listened to the sounds of Nature and really took in the beauty of that moment. Because the past does not want me there. But this present moment needs me here.