Forget history and look forward to the mystery.

I hate memories. They suck. They always leave you with something to think about. Old flames, friendships, or just a really horrible day perhaps that you had once upon a time; they stick around in your brain unless you have amnesia or something. The worst part? The good times tend to take the back seat in the memory lane and sad times just love that driver’s seat. Even when it’s a good memory, it looks like when you remember it, it becomes sad automatically. You start remembering the good times and wish you could go back. Maybe I’m just a sad little person, but that’s how it plays out for me.

The main reason I bring this up is because parents’ weekend just passed. Being an international student whose parents live 6163 miles, or 17 hours by flight, I started to remember home. I started to miss my own family. My mums cooking, my siblings’ stupidity or my father trying to teach me all about biology and me trying to act like I understand. 

I started to remember all the good old days that I spent with my friends where we mucked about in the streets, or hung out in the malls yelling at each other for no reason. I remember the day where we decided to run down the school hallway because we were seniors and didn't have a care in the world. It wasn't long before I started depressing myself even more. I remembered the people I loved the most. I remembered how far apart we were. University had become our lives very fast, and although we promised each other to stay in touch, life was just way too busy.

It took me a while, but it hit me a couple of hours later. What was I doing? I decided to move away from home, I decided to take this step to better my future and it was I who begged my parents to study at Bentley, so why was I sitting there being sad? I had a new life here. I was 23 minutes away from Boston, one of the greatest cities in the world, and I was sitting in a corner in the library being sad. I had a whole bunch of friends who were bursting with energy not knowing where to release it; I didn't have a reason to be sad.

Think of it as if you were travelling from a town to the city. You start off slow. You enjoy the scenery, you have that cheese that the farmer just made from fresh milk and you lay under the stars that light up the night sky. After a while the town comes to an end, and you hit the highway. It’s a different place. It’s a different flow of people and a different flow of traffic. If you keep on looking back at the town, you’ll crash sooner or later. One or two glimpses ever now and then won’t hurt, but if that’s where your attention is, you’ll be a goner. Instead look forward. Look towards that new life. Soon you’ll be on your way to make a whole new set of memories with a whole new set of people you don’t know. Life’s going to be different, but that doesn't mean it’s a bad different.

Now about the bad memories. Forget them. Yesterday is gone. We can’t change what happened, so why are we dwelling over it? Why are we giving something so much importance when we can’t do anything about it? Take all of your bad memories, stuff them into a bag, and throw them into that train that’s just leaving the station. You’ll feel relieved. You’ll feel free. You’ll feel happy.

The point I’m trying to make here is that don’t be too stuck in the past that you forget to enjoy your present and your future with it. But be happy. Enjoy life as it comes to you. It’s fine to feel homesick from time to time, but living in a hut in the middle of the jungle won’t help you progress in the real world. Move out. You have the world at your feet. You have everything. Life’s amazing. Take it into your own hands. Make a new memory. In fact make so many that you can’t even remember half of them. Forget the past because it just isn’t worth worrying your pretty little mind over it. Instead, let go of it. Yesterday is history. Instead save your energy for the mysterious future. It’s going to be awesome.