The Sum of Our Mistakes

As much as I regret certain things and wish I could delete specific people and memories from my system, there is just too much for me to lose.

If I erased them, who would this person in the mirror be today?

Whatever ghosts are haunting me, whatever shitty people are making things difficult, I’ve realized I need to keep it all exactly as it is—while I make myself stronger.

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Where serendipity and zemblanity meet

Previously published on 10th Jan 2025

If given the chance to relive just one moment, would you choose to avoid the wrong turns, the sinkholes you stumbled into? Or would some part of us, knowing what we know now, still choose to jump?

Perhaps this is why science fiction so often cautions against tampering with time — lest we write ourselves out of existence.

Photo by Oliver Roos on Unsplash

what is the best for me?
what is the best for you?
what’s the best for ourselves?
we may never know that for sure

in this so-called life
filled with constant flux
errors of judgement
sometimes we think
we’ve got it all figured out

armed with our trusty compass
little that we know it was faulty
which is the right way and the wrong way
we might just get it all wrong
paying no heed to the wind
even with that nagging feeling
that something wasn’t right

we wanted everything
yearning for things
that are not ours
letting greed take hold
wanting more and more
but how much of that
that we truly need

whatever decisions we made
we will have to live with that
with the consequences
both good and bad

life is a tangle of multiple paths
every step we take sets a new route
people, places and feelings
things that stay with us
changing us and molding us
into what we are
for the rest of our lives

the sum of our sorrows and mistakes
had brought us here today
and the, there you are
standing on the opposite side
looking back at me
i waved and you waved back

life brought us here
through serendipity and zemblanity
it was a though journey-
blood, sweat and tears

but hey,
look what i found:
a kindred spirit

we’ve been walking parallel paths
unaware of each other’s presence
our lives unfolding in parallel
leading us to this shared clearing
you were there all along

there you are
a precious friend

there you are
always there for me

there you are
ever so supportive

there you are
with your heart open

there you are

i know a silver lining
when i see one

looking back
i can’t help but wonder
what if I hadn’t made those mistakes?
what if I hadn’t allowed
myself to wander?

had i been spared
those difficult times
that suffering
would i be the person i am today?
would i have learned
to savor this moment?

isn’t life great
it’s a pitstop for now
to savor the blessings
bestowed upon me

©Britt H.

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More about the person behind the writing in My Introductory Post

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