The Rearview Mirror
Some things need to stay in the rearview mirror. Left behind.
Maybe it was never meant to be in the first place.
Maybe it was.
Maybe it is for the best. This is where I land.
Leave it in the rearview mirror.
People move on, and sometimes they don’t take you with them. Wish them well.
Sometimes you’re the one who leaves. We don’t all walk through life at the same pace or in the same direction. That can be heartbreaking. But, even though it hurts, you know you have to leave them with the version of you they’re willing to accept.
Leave it in the rearview mirror.
You can love someone deeply, maybe your entire life, but you cannot let that love blur the truth of a situation. Boundaries are necessary and healthy for relationships. Some are willing to accept yours, others, less so. If the relationship is abusive, unhealthy, one-sided, or otherwise dysfunctional, you are allowed to leave. That is the most loving choice you can make for yourself and for them. They won’t see it that way, of course, but the gift of hindsight brings clarity unlike much else.
Perhaps it’s best to leave the memories as you left them.
Some memories are meant to fade.
Leave it in the rearview mirror.
Maybe it isn’t so much that the situation or the other person has changed. I know I have changed. I am not who I once was, thank God. I can’t go back. I won’t.
What is no longer mine can stay in the past. It might have been a part of me once, but no longer. I can choose what to carry forward and what to leave behind.
You can choose, too. Choose carefully, prayerfully, guided by fact, not only feelings. Move forward, spending less time longing for what was, so you don’t miss out on what is and what can be.
Leave it in the rearview mirror.
So much of life is loss. People come and go. We grow and change. We can move on. It can be better.
You can’t reclaim or revive a situation that’s no longer yours. That includes relationships.
Leave it in the rearview mirror.