Experience as Teacher

“You’re not the same individual you were a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago. You’re always growing. Experiences don’t stop. That’s life.” Osiris

This quote struck me as soon as I read it this morning and I couldn’t agree more.

I have no idea where it came from or who actually said it but there is wisdom in the words.

We forget that we aren’t static people. Each day brings experiences that change us and help us to grow. The biggest issue with this is that the experiences aren’t always positive.

Negative or less than positive experiences often have the most lessons in them. We just don’t want to face the “bad”.

In my life I have come to see each experience for the possibilities it holds. Even the smallest thing has meaning.

Oh, not that I am looking to the heavens for a sign. That isn’t what I mean. But, like this quote I read once and it has stuck with me all day, there are lessons in all that we encounter. This one happened to be a reminder, at the exact moment I needed it, that I have grown in the past year. I needed this encouragement as I have become discouraged in some of my efforts.

As I look back to who I was a year ago, I often wonder how I got to this point. A year ago, creating a blog was not even on my radar. I was happily going along learning a new job and enjoying the life I had.

Yeah, that changed in a heartbeat.

Somewhere last fall, in late September, I began seeing posts and pins about NaNoWriMo. After about the 5th or 6th one I decided there was a reason I kept seeing this and investigated. One thing led to another and here I am, working on a blog that I am still trying to grasp the meaning of.

Life is like that. A beautiful sunset or a rainbow at just the right time can be a balm to the soul. On the other side, a pulled muscle or other types of pain can be a message to slow down. If you are paying attention then messages abound.

One of my colleagues often tells me that we are doomed to repeat those lessons we don’t learn the first time. Paying attention is often less painful than repeated lessons.

In what ways are you different than you were a year ago?