by J. Post

Created on: July 01, 2008   Last Updated: July 08, 2008

We all have made mistakes in life. We have made mistakes as a nation, as a state, as a city, as a community, as a neighborhood, as a family, and as an individual. We all have dealt with the "shoulda, woulda, coulda's." We have all experienced regret or remorse in our normal everyday lives, have we not? We all have things that we could have done better or different paths that we could have taken.How do we deal with these upsets? Do we put the blame on others, on circumstances, on influences, on society, on our socio-economic status, on our ethnicity, on our culture? or do we accept that it is our fault or it is variables beyond our control? A lot of times life is life and things just happen. A lot of times we bring things on ourselves. Wouldn't you agree?

I would like to submit to you that whatever has happened in any of our lives, we should adopt the mentality that I learned in the Marine Corps, which is to "keep on marching." We can't fix the past but we can determine what to do about the future. I submit that we should focus on doing things that ENHANCE our lives. We should do things that bring happiness and joy into our lives. We shouldn't do things that waste our lives away, because we only have one life, which should never be taken for granted.

We all know that storms come into our lives and no one is exempt. We all experience the up's and down's of life. We know that life is life and things happen. We've all had the unexpected events happen to us, which are those moments when we think, "Man this really sucks!" It's at these times when all the questions start, "Why is this happening to me?" "What did I do to deserve this?" The storms always come. So what do we do? Just "keep on marching." No matter what life has thrown or will throw at you, whether good or bad, never give up. We never want to "throw in the towel", quit, or just "roll-over" and take whatever hand is dealt to us. We are in control of our lives, no matter who we are. Save for the obvious, which is death, we determine what happens in our lives and how we will react to those things that are beyond our control. So keep moving forward with your life. "Keep on marching." Forget the past and press on to the future. A future that YOU will make for yourself. This is the only life we have, there are no "do overs," so make a life, a future you can be proud of. For all of those who read this article, take care and "keep on marching!"

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