Nor is it
Wiser to weep a true occasion lost,
But trim our sails, and let old bygones be.
– Lord Alfred Tennyson
I came across the Lord Alfred Tennyson quote, above, this morning and haven’t been able to shake it all day long – Especially the last four words: LET OLD BYGONES BE. Profound, much.
Old bygones trip a lot of us up, do they not?
- Old mistakes we just can’t forget.
- Past pains that are so profoundly painful that we can’t tear our eyes away from the entry of the wound.
- Ancient wrongdoings of others that are so profoundly painful that we refuse to let the guilty take THEIR eyes off of our wound.
- Fading dreams that never materialized as we’d hoped.
This wonderful quote is a beautiful, eloquent reminder that, very often, we get in our own way when we refuse to let bygones simply be bygones. We get so hung up on water that has passed under the bridge, so to speak, that we fail to enjoy and take full advantage of the water in front of us. Sometimes it’s simply time to let go.
And be free.
If anything is holding you back or keeping you from embracing life and living it to its fullest, I hope you’ll let Lord Alfred Tennyson’s quote lodge in your mind and heart. A year from now, you’ll be so glad you did. Sail On!