Practicing Reflection
We only live in the present for an instant at a time. Before you finish reading this sentence, it’s in the past. Our life experience is largely made up of moments that no longer exist, but which continue to affect us. Since we don’t have enough time in the present instant to mine all the jewels and sort the garbage, deliberate time for reflecting on the past is a good practice.
This isn’t easy for me! I’m usually dreaming, scheming, and working towards the future. I look for challenges to meet and mountains to climb! If I look to the past, it’s usually for hints about how to navigate the future or for memories to connect better with people in my life.
Past, present, future. Most people tend towards one of these categories. Each is extremely important, and balance between them is key. If you’re the sort of person who tends to fly into the future or live in the present moment, reflecting and looking back is especially critical. We can’t savor life if we’re always living in the moment or rushing ahead to the next event.
To help spend more time in reflection, a month ago I started a new practice. It has been so rewarding that I plan to keep it up through the entire year and beyond. Every evening, I take one index card and a pen, write the date at the top of the card, and I sit and reflect on the day. As I reflect, I write bullet points. If something memorable, funny, interesting, painful, or special happened, I jot it down. Nothing long-winded. Just enough to jog my memory. Even the “boring” parts of the day can be meaningful or thought-provoking if I stop long enough to let them emerge.
A couple times a week I look back through the cards. I’ve already noticed some trends, one being that I quickly forget things, even special things. Unless there is something particularly gripping to ponder, I tend to move on to the next thing much too quickly for my own good. If I don’t think about an event with at least some degree of regularity, it slips away before I’ve fully digested it. Another thing I’ve noticed is how rich my life really is. Without reminders, it’s easy to forget the meaningful experiences and lovely moments, like how much I cherish spirited conversations with my husband, the goofy way our dog howls the moment she hears a siren, and a steaming cup of broth on a cold morning.
If you struggle with reflecting on the past, this method is a very simple place to start. When we get in the habit of reflecting on small things, it is easier to focus on things that are bigger and further in the past.
Challenges/Points:
In order to process and understand our lives, it is important to spend some time thinking about the past.
Certain people have a hard time reflecting on the past because they tend to focus on the present or future.
A simple practice of daily reflection can give us an insightful look into our lives.
Questions:
Is it easy for you to focus on things that happened in the past?
Do you specifically spend time thinking back over what happened in your day?
When you reflect on your life, what do you see?
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