In Hindsight

by Karen Lang, posted in Discovering your Destiny

It’s easy to be wise after the event.


― Arthur Conan Doyle

How often have we wished we could change the past?

Over the years I have learned not to waste energy wishing life was different, but rather, learn how to stay present.

William Stafford’s poem is the perfect reminder during this busy season, where often we are distracted and lose sight of this moment.

I wish everyone a beautiful, warm, and peaceful Christmas and I look forward to being with you all in 2023.

‘Next time what I’d do is look at

the earth before saying anything.

I’d stop

just before going into a house

and be an emperor for a minute

and listen better to the wind

or to the air being still.

When anyone talked to me, whether

blame or praise or just passing time,

I’d watch the face, how the mouth

has to work, and see any strain, any

sign of what lifted the voice.

And for all, I’d know more—the earth

bracing itself and soaring, the air

finding every leaf and feather over

Forest and water, and for every person

the body glowing inside the clothes like a light.’

   

William Stafford

Next Time” by William Stafford, from The Way It Is: New & Selected Poems. © Graywolf Press, 1998

28 thoughts on “In Hindsight”

  2. Thank you for your lovely blessings Karen, gratefully received and returned in kind dear lady. Thank you! I know those things in our past are such a powerful thing to face…during and on into the ‘future’…but I know they are helping us in more ways than we can imagine. Merry Christmas, may you be that love and peace found…always ❤️🙏🏽

    Reply

  4. Karen, A Blessed and Merry Christmas and Holidays to you and the family as well. Your apt poem reminds us to take the time as a famous golfer once said to smell the flowers along the way.
    We often forget in trying to give cause to our uniqueness how truly the same we are. In thinking of a field of grass we see the field as one, yet if we were to pull one blade of grass, we find how one it is with itself. It is so unique and separate from the rest. Like we in our humanity, it is one of a body.
    -Alan

    Reply

    1. So true Alan. May we see the oneness of all life, and remember there is no separation. Blessings to you and your family over Christmas and New Year.
      🙏🏻🎄🙏🏻

      Reply

  11. Thank you Karen. I love William Stafford and I had not read this poem.
    Thank you for the light that you bring to the world. I always appreciate your posts.
    Happy New Year.

    Reply

  12. So much truth to this, Karen, and good to remind ourselves of this as we finish a year. One thing I’ve learned over the years, and mentioned to you on occasion as well 🙂 While hindsight can make us kick ourselves, the opportunities that come from mistakes can often take us somewhere special, too… so embrace it all. Wishing you a beautiful ’23 ahead ~ take care.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s