Fantastic essay Colin! The first essay I have read that openly talks about revisiting the past from a different perspective. I remember going back to a spot outside a coffee place, that i often avoided as I cried a lot there. It is now my favorite spot. I often feel blinding oneself to those painful moments (places, memories) just bottles up and aggravates, while i believe in giving myself some grace with respect to the time I is important to sort it out in different ways. Thanks for sharing Arthur Brooks advice as well, I have heard some of his talks, he is amazing:) writing about them and talking to close friend helps in my case.
I’m so glad you liked it, Apurva! And thanks for sharing about your experience. It can be really hard. Sometimes it’s taken me years to be able to revisit something, but I’m trying to get better at it. Yeah he has lots of good advice! I got to hear him speak a long time ago, and it was really cool.
Colin, this is exactly the kind of piece that makes me want to keep following someone’s work.
“The problem isn’t revisiting the past. The problem is living in it” is going to stay with me.
Your coffee-shop example really worked for me because the painful memory didn’t disappear—you simply created enough new life around it that the old memory no longer owned the place.
A lot of what I’ve been writing and talking about lately circles around similar questions: What do we carry forward from difficult parts of our lives, and what are we finally allowed to put down?
I think you’d feel right at home around our Timberline campfire. We spend a lot of time talking about resilience, community, the stories we inherit, and how people find their way forward.
Really glad I found your work, Colin. I’ll be reading more. I hope you’ll wander over sometime. 🌲🔥
This is beautifully written. Not everyone has this perspective or maybe not everyone can act upon it, but yes, time can help to glide forward. Thanks for writing it in a very gentle way.
Thanks for the kind words, Shweta! I’m not always the best myself. Some things have taken years to get over, but I’m trying to get better at it. I’m really glad you liked it!
I love this perspective- as someone who prefers to zoom past the bad stuff, this was a good reminder how important it is to confront. You have such great, concrete steps to start!
Fantastic essay Colin! The first essay I have read that openly talks about revisiting the past from a different perspective. I remember going back to a spot outside a coffee place, that i often avoided as I cried a lot there. It is now my favorite spot. I often feel blinding oneself to those painful moments (places, memories) just bottles up and aggravates, while i believe in giving myself some grace with respect to the time I is important to sort it out in different ways. Thanks for sharing Arthur Brooks advice as well, I have heard some of his talks, he is amazing:) writing about them and talking to close friend helps in my case.
I’m so glad you liked it, Apurva! And thanks for sharing about your experience. It can be really hard. Sometimes it’s taken me years to be able to revisit something, but I’m trying to get better at it. Yeah he has lots of good advice! I got to hear him speak a long time ago, and it was really cool.
Colin, this is exactly the kind of piece that makes me want to keep following someone’s work.
“The problem isn’t revisiting the past. The problem is living in it” is going to stay with me.
Your coffee-shop example really worked for me because the painful memory didn’t disappear—you simply created enough new life around it that the old memory no longer owned the place.
A lot of what I’ve been writing and talking about lately circles around similar questions: What do we carry forward from difficult parts of our lives, and what are we finally allowed to put down?
I think you’d feel right at home around our Timberline campfire. We spend a lot of time talking about resilience, community, the stories we inherit, and how people find their way forward.
Really glad I found your work, Colin. I’ll be reading more. I hope you’ll wander over sometime. 🌲🔥
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jay! I’m really glad it resonated with you. Yeah, I’ll definitely go check out your work!
Looking forward to having you around the fire, Colin! Take your time exploring, and I'll catch you in the comments on your next piece. 🌲🔥
This is beautifully written. Not everyone has this perspective or maybe not everyone can act upon it, but yes, time can help to glide forward. Thanks for writing it in a very gentle way.
Thanks for the kind words, Shweta! I’m not always the best myself. Some things have taken years to get over, but I’m trying to get better at it. I’m really glad you liked it!
I love this perspective- as someone who prefers to zoom past the bad stuff, this was a good reminder how important it is to confront. You have such great, concrete steps to start!
Thanks so much! I really appreciate the kind words, and I’m glad you liked my essay!