Since coming down to San Antonio I spend many nights at Red Box renting movies. A friend of mine suggested I watch the documentary, The September Issue, about putting out Vogue Magazine’s annual September issue. I believe there are moments on television and the movies where the writers or in this case the actual people say things that really make me think. After all the fashionista stuff and the photo shoots, Anna Wintour the Chief Honcho at Vogue and of the entire fashion industry worldwide said, “Fashion isn’t about looking back; it’s always about looking forward.”
So this may not have a lot of relevance to your life, but for let’s switch it up and shift it to your life with a chronic or other life-altering illness. What if health weren’t about looking back; but always about looking forward?” If you keep it in mind with that perspective does it make more sense? When you look back on your health, like to the days when it was good, how are you serving your current life? How are you instilling hope in what lies ahead if you’re fixated on your health history instead of your health future. The truth is that it may be tempting to want to stay in the past, but that’s living only in your head…a fantasy.
What does the future hold for you? If you have some sense of your health future you can make plans, rearrange priorities, and build up your resources (both internal and external) for when you’ll need them most. You can consciously choose how you spend your days, what mindset you’ll have; and what actions you’ll take to make the present and the future the best it can be.
You may not subscribe to Vogue or even care who Anna Wintour is, but her words about looking forward has an impact on all our lives. It’s the difference between living in denial and fantasy or developing a level of acceptance so you can take advantage of all your energy physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Take it from Anna and keep looking forward.
Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong 