As I visited Fort Monroe this week, I was struck by the importantance of this spot to American history. Built in the early 1600s, which has its own cool factor, this amazingly beautiful piece of land in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay basin operated as an active military installation from inception until just six years ago. Abraham Lincoln planned an attack in the Civic War from a home that is still standing and still lived in. Fort Monroe played an important role in the history of our country in nearly every century from the past four hundred years. You can literally walk where founders and defenders of our nation lived (and died). It is quaint, it is beautiful, and it is surreal on some level. This much history is almost overwhelming.
Surrounded by so much history, I began to think about history and its importance to our overall health and wellness. You know the adage about learning from history..."he who does not learn from history is destined to repeat it." When I think about it, sometimes repeating history would be great...but of course you have to learn something from it to do that. Sometimes repeating history would be devestating, but of course you have to learn from it to avoid repeating it. You can pretty easily see that ignoring history doesn't allow you to either repeat the good things or avoid the bad. So, pay attention and learn something.
One big caution: learning from history is not the same as wallowing in it. Reflect, learn about your own history and experiences and draw lessons from them but then leave them where they lie...in the past...and go out and live.
Live to create new history that you want to repeat. Leave an awesome trail behind you. And 400 years from now, maybe someone will be marveling at the history you left.
