Excellent advice that I've learned from dealing with a multitude of clients and friends over time has come from simple observation – anyone who poisons the present with the past is wasting precious time and energy. Holding onto grudges is like walking around with a "Junk Email Folder" in your headspace – often with a requirement for "archives" too! Feeling resentment is like drinking poison in the hopes that the effects thereof will be experienced by the person that you cannot or will not forgive.
Our most precious personal resource is time – you can never recover time not invested well. Money and energy may not be simple or easy to renew, but there are options to work on these. The past is history, the future a mystery, so we need to treasure the gift of today – that is why it is called "the present." I often need reminders of this myself. I have found it a moment-by-moment balancing act since load shedding began. Any form of regular routine is not at all possible for the average citizen.
It feels like the "shock" of Lockdown, all the more traumatizing for the compounded impact on income lost, hikes in fuel, and the cost of living. It is easy to get lost in the past or feel angry about the circumstances and anxious about the future.
With all the additional challenges that we face, it is even more important to learn to leave the past in the rearview mirror and focus forward in hope and peace. While Eskom may control the electrical power in your life, nobody can steal your personal power and peace without your permission. While sitting in the dark, I hope that this article gives you food for thought – and the opportunity to work on forgiving and moving on.