Thank goodness Christmas has come and gone!!!I’m exhausted from the onslaught of sentimental Christmas crap… red and green tinsel, chirpy jingles in every supermarket, alcoholic red-faced men with fake white cotton beards and stuffed bellies… everywhere! Luring little children to pose for a pic and now your excited child is nagging to take a pic with Santa… at a price, of course, because you know… everyone knows Christmas is all about the money, right? I’ve always wondered about those Santa’s. Seriously, this is Africa! Our winters are about as cold as a UK summer, not to mention that Christmas falls during the height of our summer (remember, we’re in the southern hemisphere!).Those poor Santa’s must be dying of heat exhaustion every day (my bad… that’s probably the cause of the red cheeks) and then dealing with snot-nosed brats all day long!
Thinking about Christmas, I remember I used to love the story of Scrooge. It amazed me that a grumpy and bitter old man could turn into a sweet, loving, compassionate grandpa-type in less than 24 hours. As a fan of the supernatural, the ghost of Christmas past, present, and future piqued my interest… alas, it’s true what they say: your thoughts about Christmas lose their wonder and magic as you get older…..But Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” got me thinking, specifically about lessons to be learned in life, in order to become a better person. At the age of 46, I’m finally learning some lessons. This is after the ghost of my future visited me a couple of years back, nearly killing me and scaring the shit out of me. It made me realize quite a couple of things, and even though my life changed instantaneously, it took time to change, and in fact, I’m still changing to adjust to the new me. The ghost of my present, though, is becoming a happier spirit day by day, as I evolve into a more compassionate being, a loving mother, and overall, just a better individual…
So I could not fathom why the ghost of my past was haunting me so relentlessly. I’m trying my best to be better (it’s a process, okay!).. so what the fuck was his problem? Visiting me from time to time to haunt me and make my life uncomfortable! So when he confronted me again yesterday, I decided to sit down and analyze these hauntings to see what I was still doing wrong and why he was trying to get my attention. And then I realised what he wanted me to realise! It’s not my whole past that’s bugging him, but he needs to make sure that I realize some mistakes should stay exactly where they are in the past, like relationships, for example. He wanted to remind me not to be a coward, not to stumble, not to fall… again and again and again… because sometimes one needs to be reminded of their fuckups a couple of times before realisation sets in. And yes, I do know that some failures are bound to happen again…I’m just human after all… but that specific mistake and weakness in life will never happen again!
My advice to you is to stop making the same mistakes over and over again. Be honest with yourself and recognise toxic behaviour. Learn from it and realise that some mistakes should stay in the past. Save yourself the emotional exhaustion before a ghost of your past is summoned to exercise some sort of intervention…
Love it!