We all have “things” in our past. Good things we miss. Painful things we wish had never happened. Heroic things we are proud of. Stupid things we wish we had never done. Selfish things we wish we had done differently. Wonderful things we cherish. Things beyond our control that turned out badly. Things…

In the world I created in this painting, we see a corn crib in the background that has fallen into disrepair and is obviously a thing of the past while in the foreground there is a barn of similar vintage that is clearly well maintained and still in use. The sun rises on a calm snow covered morning.

The past and present existing simultaneously in the same place.

In our youth, we stress and agonize over the question, “what am I going to do with my life?” Then, time passes, and you agonize over the question, “what have I done with my life?” You miss the good times, try to forget the bad times, and regret missed opportunities and time wasted fussing over events and things that ultimately prove to be insignificant. The secret is to learn as you go so you can keep making progress as a person while traveling with the ghosts of your past.

Like many things, it is a process. As for me, I am still “Learning To Live with Ghosts”.

Image and Text © James Golaszewski 2016