Looking Forward

I read a quote this week--actually, I read it multiple times, because that's how Facebook and LinkedIn are. It read "Don't look back. You're not going that way." Now, I don't always put a lot of stock in pithy little social media images, but this one has stuck with me. The last few years have presented a lot of opportunities for me to look back--back on jobs I've had, back on salaries that once were, back to times shared with friends who have since moved away. There has been temptation to look back to chances missed (or denied) and to moments not fully enjoyed when they were right in front of me. A person could get a very stiff neck turning back to look at all that for too long.
 
But then I look in front of me, where things might be unknown and a little scary. I look in front of me at new opportunities and new connections and new moments that I will get a new chance to appreciate. And I realize that while the path I'm on has been paved with all the things that came before, my steps each day are completely new. I am looking forward. Because that's the way I'm going.