One day as I passed a particularly lovely spot, I was not quite ready to give up the beauty, and looked into the rearview mirror. I noticed much to my surprise that the field appeared even greener! Farther down the road I tested again with other fields and sure enough they always appeared a deeper and more beautiful green.
I reflected on how we often feel that things were better in the past and it occurred to me that, just as that wheat stood exactly the same, my PERCEPTION of it had changed in the reflection.
So it is with our past. When it appears that there was more good to experience then than now, I remind myself of that day. To fracture an old adage and coin a new one: “THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR!”
Memory has a way of making the past seem rosier than it was. If you find yourself wishing that things were the way they used to be, it may just be that the grass looks greener in the rearview mirror. And if you spend too much time admiring the view in the mirror, you're likely to miss something great just ahead!
Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 3 (2005).