We all have a past. For many of us the past remains the harbour of extremely favourable memories. And make no mistake, that’s a good thing. The allure of the past is palpable.

Oddly it comes as an improving discovery that you cannot relive the past. I say discovery because, like a gem in the dark, it is both unexpected and bountiful. It is unexpected because we mistakenly assume everything will go on forever; bountiful because it curiously remedies any mournful regret for loss of the past. The past for all its imagery was as clouded then as it is now by indecisiveness and uncertainty. Apart from the plain utility of acknowledging the impact of natural and normal change, it is too a reminder that happiness comes from within.

Proving that is the challenge.

If you feel you must be convinced of the bounty of the proposition, it requires a comparison of what you had then and what you have now. I wager without concealment that then and now do not match. My conviction is without hesitation because life changes. Life never was – nor has it ever been said to be – unchangeable. The paradox is that, to think otherwise enforces upon you an inconsistency approaching an even greater wistfulness or delusion. Certainly, if it were indeed possible, there would be no harm in trying. But it isn’t; so there ain’t.

The good news is you’re awake and alive! You have now as you did then the capacity to characterize and romanticize your present just as you did in the past. It’s who you are. It is guaranteed that wherever you are or wherever you were is not the same without you. They’re all just places, moments in time. So if you’re looking to make a difference you’re going to have to do it yourself.

That’s where the fun begins!

Acceptance of change is the truly successful way to cope with change. Change is seldom optional. Whatever the alteration it is certain that the reason is tied to your personal evolution. Similarly it is the stuff and vigour of your personality that governs what follows. And once again to speak plainly, some things are best left in the past – like a painting which captures the enthusiasm of that era. Those memories and messages are properly aligned with the past. The prow of the future is what beckons in the present. Ultimately it’s time to get back to work.

The weight of the work is learning to adapt. For some the transition is catastrophic; for some it is a mere unfamiliarity; for some it is expected and managed; for others it is embodied and embraced. Whatever the manifestation, resistance is futile.