Life Lesson

In looking through some work related blogs the other day, I came across a quote that was pretty interesting to me:

“You cannot step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you.”Greek philosopher, Heraclitus of Ephesus (circa 500 BC

I've never thought about life in this way before. Sure, I know that I'm continually impacted by everything that happens around me, but I guess I never thought about the fact that it changes me forever. We truly are never the same person from one minute to the next. Unless you live in a padded room.

I often find myself reliving a particular moment in life over and over again. That moment may be monumental, or it could also be fairly minor such as an interaction with a coworker. When I relive this moment in my mind, I typically think of different scenarios that might change the course of whatever happened. Could I have said or done something differently? It is important for me to understand that while these may be teaching moments, I truly cannot ever change the situation. Once it happens, I am impacted by it forever.

I think this is possibly the hardest thing we have to learn as humans. Our actions truly impact those around us, no matter how minor it may seem. My taking the last bit of coffee out of the carafe at work may make the next person behind me angry because there wasn't any for them. It could ruin their entire day. Maybe they spend the rest of the day ruining others lives just because they have a deficit of caffeine. And, I knew nothing about that!

Now, I know that I can't give this much thought to everything I do. I'd never make a decision! Instead, I need to remember that once something happens to me, it is with me for life. It molds me and shapes me into the person I am at any given moment. It is important to seek out those opportunities that will allow me to grow and mature into the best person I can be.