Modern Wisdom #1: Right Journey, Wrong Destination

The Time I Read All My Old Journals, Cried, Then Let It All Go

I’m popping in on a different day (hello, Friday!) to try a different sort of post. Instead of a full-length, traditional Good Character post, here’s a short and sweet moment of wisdom. We can call it a Good Character mini-column: Modern Wisdom. Let me know what you think in the comments!

My New Year’s Resolution this year was to go back to my past— specifically, the four years that I had cancer. I planned to read all my high school journals, to start; then I’d interview my family and friends from that time. I even made playlists of my favorite songs to help me get into the late 90s mood. I anticipated this project turning into a full-length memoir.

Instead, I completed step one, reading my old journals. And then I realized I was done.

Photo by Hartanto Kosasih on Unsplash

I’d excavated the ghost of my teenaged self and learned a few things. But I quickly reached a point where I felt at peace; I was able to let go of my cancer story and move on with my life.

That means I was both right and wrong. I was right to take the journey; I was wrong about the destination.

You can read more about my New Year’s Resolution, and its ultimate demise, here and here. And now I’m asking you: what parts of your past need excavating? How could you accomplish that? Are you willing to see where it leads you?

Here’s to us, taking the bigger perspective and living the bigger life.

I’ll be back next week with more Good Character!