A headstone bears the inscription: “Rest in Peace, old me”. It is a piece of tattoo flash, made by a friend which someday I will add to my personal collection. Relevant to last night’s dream. My past self-came for a visit. Flashes of memories were chaotic. My past self traveled down the road with an older self. Part of me is completely un-prepared, and the other part, very well prepared. The driver peered back at us from his rearview mirror. He told us both how he wished for this and that, but the person he wished it for was no non-existent now. She was dead.

Thinking about how the past will revisit us from time to time crossed my mind this morning. It manifests in many ways: echoes of the past, the return of long-lost friends, and dreams that flit like fireflies on a summer night. But you cannot live here. You mustn’t stay, and resistance is futile. You can invite the past in for a visit, much like an old friend. Offer the past a cup of tea, you reminisce, because it is very much a part of you. Be thankful because your past self is a fundamental part of who you’ve become.

Having the ability to converse with your past self, you can ask how it’s been. You can send your past a hefty dose of goodwill. But always remember, you cannot linger long enough to alter what’s already come to pass. You are too far down that river. That river — is the life force, and what some cultures call mana. We must keep moving along. If we resist and sit there like a rock, then with much certainty, the waves will crash over us repeatedly until our edges have become smooth to the touch. And with more time, we will surmise to its pressure, whittling away or swept off with the currents lost to the sea forever. It is a force to be reckoned with.

Similar to how all things are fluid, the life force carries time along with it — past, present, and future. 

-Keri