2. Gift of Hindsight

Difficult times often look easier in hindsight.May we have that foresight, so things become easy all the way.

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We just returned from a trek to Tapovan, last Sunday, 10th Oct 2021.

Contrary to popular opinion, our guide, Tulsi ji, always asked us to look back, not forward.

Perhaps it was because we were climbing up a steep slope, panting, stopping every next second and tiredly looking at the path we had yet to cover, cognizant of the beauty we were surrounded by but somehow distracted by the decision of where to keep our foot next, and not fall. Tulsi ji? He wanted us to look back instead and fathom the distance we had already covered, particularly the spots we had stopped at to look at the spot we were currently at.

“Look how far you’ve come, and register the distance that lies ahead of you when it becomes the distance you’ve left behind – it will look more beautiful!”

Oh, the sweet gift of hindsight.

Life is full of treacherous paths, and sketchy turns and seemingly complicated problems – be it to do with decision making (sometimes even mundane), maintaining relations, prioritizing one thing at the cost of another, or living up to your loved ones’ expectations. The pressure can sometimes feel so burdensome, that we may lose the spirit to even want to overcome it. But in moments like these, it helps to pause and think how the world, our world, would look if the said problem was indeed solved. May, in such moments, we take inspiration from that imagined future not-so-far reality, and make our next move count.

Ultimately whether we overcome the pressure or solve the problem matters less, but that we learn something in hindsight, with the moves we make, matters more. These learnings accumulated over time will present us, and our loved ones, with the gift of hindsight. A gift our elders have treasured and shared with us, a gift that is timeless.

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This article, like much else in life, is open to interpretation.

Part of a series?While talking to myself, life happened.