Looking forward,
Staring into the mirror of my life,
Returns a reflection of my past.
Like history,
My yesterdays keep repeating themselves,
Leaving me struggling to break free.
Hopes and dreams left partially fulfilled,
And regrets, of which there are many,
A constant battle to overcome.
Thankfully with age, I’m less likely to lament,
Especially over those things which I can not change,
Instead choosing to carve out a niche’ for the joyful things in life.
Should mistakes of the past be renewed,
Looking with eyes steeped in greater wisdom,
I endeavor to make this their last.
Still the realist that I am gets in the way,
Making the struggle monumental,
And the results muddled.
Yes…I am a flawed creature,
Free will engendered as both blessing and curse,
Yet I do not desire to change it.
We are given but one existence,
Is it destiny…luck…or divine intervention that lights our path,
For this, I have no answer, choosing instead to sit back and enjoy this wild ride.
Dom DiFrancesco 
Good for you!
Thank you! :)
I sometimes wonder if being a realist means thinking (or knowing) that our histories limit us. Or maybe it is simply knowing that we just can’t ever know enough to be free from error.
What I prefer to believe is that it isn’t about the past or even about making mistakes, but about knowing that there is always something more to know, to be aware of, to embrace.
I’ve worked through a great many things in my life as I’m sure that most of us have, but the one thing which I have worked very hard to get past are my regrets. It is far too easy to let them take hold of you and make you miserable causing you to wallow in self-pity. I believe that I have overcome this trap, but still struggle from time to time. I’m glad you enjoyed it and thank you. :)
You are welcome.
I find myself thinking about my past a lot as my wife and I are ready to have children. I look at what worked and what didn’t; what my parents thought they were doing right and what just didn’t work out.
I feel like it is easy, as a reflective person, to spend a lot of time thinking about the past. And as someone who loves to write, this is one more reason to think on the past. But I also try and think about what I can do to keep getting better. So, I definitely identify with what you’re saying. :-)