". . . though you may get a new life, you can't get a new past. You don't get to leave your story. If you leave your story, then how you left your story is your story, and you had better not forget it."
— Wendell Berry. Imagination in Place, "Sweetness Preserved"
A rather profound observation that provokes a lot of reflection on my part. A new life, but no new past, no way to leave one's story. This reminds me of Faulkner's observation that "the past is if never dead; it's not even past.'
ReplyDeleteGeorge, I think you and I would like to leave some things in the past from our pasts. I'm guessing you've figured out ways to bring those things into your life now. I know it took me a long time, with help from friends, to appreciate the things I wanted to ditch. I do know that they make me who I am, and I can say I might even start treasuring them one of these days.
DeleteI hope all is well for you.
i get chills at the "you had better not" part.
ReplyDeletei would follow wendell berry to and through any pasture.
xo
erin
I'm with you (and Wendell Berry), Erin. I receive him as an authority in my life, someone I trust. This is so important in these times when few seem trustworthy.
DeleteI can say I might even start treasuring them one of these days. Yes, indeed, dear sister! Indeed.
ReplyDelete