Reflections, and Phoebe

Do you ever get tired of reflecting sometimes? We spent a LOT of time this past school year, learning the art and power of reflection. It is a process of looking back, examining what you've done, how it went, what went well, and what you could do better. It helps you to learn from your past, and helps you improve. I understand and respect the practice, especially in an important work setting such as teaching. However, is it always necessary in everyday life? I've spent much time reflecting, obsessing, focusing on what I've done and how I can learn from it. The problem is, if you spend all your time reflecting backward, you don't ever move forward. I'm beginning to think that there is a level of bliss that comes from living a Phoebe-esque life (See 10 years of Friends for the Phoebe reference). And things turned out well for her, right? She had a lot of fun, kept her friends, was a great and caring person, and even got to marry a great guy. In the end, they were even talking kids! And I don't think she was much of a reflector. She was more of a psychic-and-horoscope kind of girl. Go with what the universe brings to you, stay in touch with your karmic interactions with the world. It alleviates some obligation, but also the pressure to reflect over every little thing, because you let go a bit and trust that the universe brings things to you for a reason, and you learn from those experiences as new ones are presented. It's a fluid, cyclical process, and not one that requires obsessing over things in the past. "And, you can't be mad about the past. I mean, are you mad about the Louisiana Purchase? Exactly. Because it's in the past." (approximate quote, season 5) So I guess maybe I'll take a stab at not obsessing so much, and checking my horoscope more often. We'll see what happens. =)