Greetings, If you answered “memories” to the question “what is life?” you’re certainly quite a romantic and life-lover. Perhaps you don’t completely agree with that – which is quite normal. If you didn’t answer that, it doesn’t mean you aren’t, and it doesn’t mean this page doesn’t pertain to you. Our lives are all filled with memories – ones we like, ones we don’t, ones we want to hold onto forever, ones we want to erase … Whether or not we realise it, our lives are pieced together by memories – trillions of them – many of which you won’t recall. Perhaps many of those aren’t necessary to take up your brain storage – which, I admit, is somewhat limited on multiple levels (taking seven classes really does test that limit out). Nevertheless, many memories are worth remembering, cherishing, sharing, and reliving. These are the ones that deserve to be framed in a photograph, written into a diary, or simply stored for safekeeping in the back of the head until time comes to reflect upon it. Memories, in this sense, are important – they ultimately form and are a piece of our individual identity. They’re special since they include many differing and perhaps contrasting aspects of life – from emotions like love and spite to learning life lessons or being rewarded with something. In a way, we definitely learn from our memories – so they’re like mistakes. But this doesn’t mean memories are bad. We generally like to keep the good ones. I would always dream about memories. I never intentionally chose to – it wasn’t like I had a choice. How many of us could actually control or direct what we dream? Only on rare occasions could I – and I’m usually in a half-conscious state when I’m doing that. I tried to figure out why I dream of such distant memories sometimes. I concluded that perhaps it’s simply because many of these memories are important to us whether we realise (or admit it) or not – and many are simply a part of us and our identity. They deserve a place in our heads and hearts. They need to say something to us, too. They have voices and songs. It’s not strange if you dream of memories. It’s not strange if you don’t either. Memories themselves are so strange in so many ways it’s hard to say one thing about them without conflicting with the next. You’ll learn to understand them better and more in depth along your journey. Right now, you don’t need to get everything. Just know that many of your memories are important in some way and are meant to be cherished. Others – more special ones – are meant to be put away in a little box and stored until it’s time to relive them. I would say that the journey through memories is definitely one of the more difficult ones. It takes a lot mentally – to endure, to remember, to overcome, to forgive and forget – it’s a confusing concept, really. Take your time and try your best to concentrate. The memories will come, and they’ll help you along your way. It’s a journey of discovery, an adventure of testing limits, an exploration of strangeness and familiarity at the same time, a true miracle indeed … Above all, it’s a time of reflection. If you’re confused right now, you’re not alone. Memories sometimes are meant to confuse, too, but eventually they will reveal what you need to know. Be patient and calm. Love your memories and they will love you too. - Mikka
The Past, Present, and Future
Most of us are probably first taught the trio of words past, present, and future as in tenses. But we’re not talking about grammatical structure here; no one’s here to give a lecture on the English language. There is something important to know about them – they’re each unique and special, and a gift. You can see them as three siblings, three generations, three facets of life or time, three gifts, three clocks or pieces of time … Whatever it is that you see in these three, understand that much more lies within your hands than you would believe or imagine initially. You’ll come to understand this as you journey along your path. There are three items inside this box that represent each of the three phases: the Reflection Pool, Present, and Horoscope. Can you guess which corresponds to which? If you haven’t figured it out, the items are explained below in their own sections. Explore each to find out what’s hidden beneath each phase of time – it’s not just the hands of a clock ticking, or days being crossed off on the calendar. There’s a new journey that lies beyond each time phase. Here’s your chance to journey back to the past, within the present, and towards the future.
THE PAST
The Time-Travelling Box
Journey through time and travel back to the past for a moment. Why do we learn history? To learn from the past and not repeat our mistakes. Now, this isn’t going to be a history lecture. This is a journey into the past, not a journey on the pages of a history textbook. You’ll feel like you’re there. Just add a little extra pinch of imagination and you’re there. Picture yourself dining with kings and queens and strolling through palaces, riding with knights on horses or enjoying afternoon tea with your friends at court. There are more times and places to be then there can be inside this box. You can choose where your journey starts – and ends.
Why does travelling back in time cure bad moods?
It’s a pleasant little distraction
You can open your eyes to something new and fresh – even though in reality it’s old and antiquated
You can pretend to be someone else for a while – which is nice since that frees you from your everyday life, stress, pressure, and boredom
You get to see and experience something different
You’re more likely to forget about what put you in the bad mood in the first place
It’s an adventure – which is always thrilling and exciting
Fact – it’s just fun to switch gears and think of something else every once in a while
Below is the tour itinerary for today’s journey that I’ve planned out. Of course, you can select your own order and destinations if you wish. My plan is just an outline as an idea for how you might start your journey. Feel free to modify, use, repeat, or share the plans below! You can also add your own ideas into the itinerary – and please leave those suggestions and ideas in the “Travel Box” below! I’m always happy to add more locations onto the plan – I love travelling too – especially back in time!
Some things you might need:
Before the trip – Preparations:
Suitcase: Personally, dressing the part helps me feel like I’m actually the character. With travelling back in time, I feel closer to walking through old cobblestone streets decked with filled shops and cafés or a gothic cathedral. When you dress just like the people who lived during the time you’re travelling back to, you’ll believe more that you’re actually there and experiencing what the people during that time did. The story will make more sense, your journey will come alive – as with the old shops and markets and cafés and cathedrals and bridges and monuments and magnificent structures.
Each destination you travel to will include a travel checklist for what to pack in your suitcase. What you’ll need may vary depending on the location! Remember – there’s a lot of variety, and that’s what makes each place unique and special – just like the varying personalities and characteristics of people!
Itinerary: Each destination will include a special itinerary with the day’s plans listed in chronological order. You can change and revise these plans accordingly. Since this is a lovely little trip, there is absolutely no problem with stopping to snap photos of the Sistine Chapel or the Seine River or a mosque or cathedral or the Great Pyramids! (No, they didn’t have cameras during any of those time frames, but guess what? Since we’re time travelling, of course you’re allowed to bring your camera! Don’t forget your mental camera either!)
Journal: Although this isn’t necessary, I do recommend bringing a journal or notebook (or diary) with you to record all your magnificent explorations and journeys. Each place tells its own unique story, and each facet of history hides multiple other facets. There’s a bonanza of endless information spilling out from all corners of the globe – that’s quite a bit of collecting and learning and remembering to do! Writing stuff down helps – I promise. This doesn’t just apply to writers.
Guided tours: Yes, apparently I qualify as a tour guide now! So guess what? Now you get to have your own personal tour guide as well. Don’t worry – I’m not bossy, and I won’t rant too much during the sightseeing tours. Otherwise, that would defeat the purpose of enjoying, relaxing, and exploring.
A heart for adventure and exploring and a great attitude! Definitely don’t forget to bring these along with you as you discover the miraculous facets and pages of history. These are definitely just as important as what you are about to learn and experience. Are you ready to travel back in time now?
The Renaissance
Our first destination on in our time travelling “box” (or machine) is the Renaissance – the birthplace of much the of world’s greatest treasures and miracles. From the bustling marketplaces of Florence to the peaceful little pastry shops in Paris, there’s a story and a journey around each corner of each cobblestone street. You might start in Venice – magnificent city of bridges and the “floating city” – and end strolling across the old bridge of Pont Neuf in Paris. History and the past is now in your hands, in your Memory Box – and you can start your journey into the Renaissance from right where you are into a miraculous city of the past.
One thing to note: the Renaissance didn’t take place – start and end – in one specific location. Many cities were home to their own unique Renaissance – and the “rebirth” took place in many forms and varieties all across Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Of course, there isn’t a specific start and end date either. So we’re won’t be hitting every location that had some sort of Renaissance during that time frame, and you won’t need to change outfits at each city we arrive at either. You can just select your favourite idea from the Suitcase to pack for the entire journey!
Before the trip: Preparations
Suitcase: Three major styles of dress are included below – Italian, French, and English. Photos are also included for inspiration and reference – your outfit doesn’t need to correspond exactly! Incorporate your own ideas and preferences and tastes as well!
Italian Renaissance Dress
French Renaissance Dress
English Renaissance Dress
I also have some personal variations I’ve made on some of these styles that I’ll share soon. For me, dressing according to the style of the time frame is important and significantly helps me feel like I’m actually there.
Itinerary: I’ve planned the itinerary by city. We’ll spend about half a day in each. It’s a five day trip. You can plan that however you want – whether you’ll visit one city once a week, once every two weeks, every other day, or every day – it’s your choice – whatever works for you. Keep in mind not to rush through all five days in two hours. That’s not the point.
Day 1: Kingdom of Naples/Papal States
Day 2: Republic of Venice/Republic of Florence
Day 3: Duchy of Milan/Republic of Genoa
Day 4: Kingdom of France
Day 5: Kingdom of England
Tours:
The Vatican City – Papal Palace, Sistine Chapel
Italian Renaissance dress
English Renaissance dress
Italian Renaissance dress
English Renaissance dress
French Renaissance dress
French Renaissance headdress
The Reflection Pool
It’s always a good idea to reflect once in a while – on yourself, your accomplishments, mistakes, plans, goals, and memories. There’s a lot to think of. Perhaps writing things down can help – a simple and short bullet point list.
Create a “Reflection Pool” section in a journal or notebook – or on a sheet of paper – and write down your thoughts as you take a few minutes to reflect.
What comes to mind? There’s nothing in specific you need to think of. Reflection is a calm and patient process. It might take a while, so just wait a moment. Your thoughts will surface to the top of the Reflection Pool.
After you jot down a few things, stand before a mirror. Believe it or not, there’s a fear of mirrors – it’s called spectrophobia, and yes, it’s a real thing in the medical dictionary. There are also a number of people who can’t face a mirror and see their reflection. That’s a problem because how do you expect to live the rest of your life if you can’t even bring yourself to see your own reflection? This is a challenge for some – believe it or not.
If you can stare at your reflection for ten seconds, you’re already wonderful and halfway there. The other half is to recognise who you are. Do you ever wonder what your eyes actually look like? Not the ones you see in the mirror – those are just a reflection and they’re not actually your eyes. You can’t see your own real eyes. You can only have someone else tell you what they look like. What if the mirror lied?
The other half of the reflection is to imagine who you are in addition to what you see in yourself, compared to what others see. There’s probably lots of controversies and contrasting views mixed somewhere in between. That’s okay. We all have our own opinions – but know that when it comes to yourself, your opinions are the most important – not your BFF’s or your crush’s or your whoever’s. What they see in you often isn’t the real you. Let the real you shine for a moment as you reflect. Take pride in that you – the true you – not just your reflection – what others see – and sometimes what you see.
Come back to the Reflection Pool every once in a while – perhaps weekly or every two weeks. Gradually and eventually, you’ll start to see something new in the mirror. Perhaps it’s not the reflection that’s changing – it’s the you staring at the reflection.
THE PRESENT
Present
My mother used to always tell me: “Today is present.”
There are two interpretations to this clever little phrase: “today is present – as in now” and “today is a present – a gift.”
Of course, today is right now, the time we’re in at the moment.
But today is also a gift. We’re blessed with a wondrous new day ahead of us each morning we wake up and see the sunlight streaming through our windows – or perhaps it’s still dark outside. We have so much that we forget all that we have more often than not – and it’s always a good idea to think of this and take a moment to appreciate what we have once in a while.
Take a moment to think of all the things you’re grateful for. You don’t need to write them down if you don’t want, although that is a good idea too.
Now think of all the people that you’re thankful for. Are a lot of those people close by you – people you’re around so much that you just take for granted? This can include but is not limited to family members, friends, teachers, coaches, co-workers or colleagues – perhaps even the people who work at local markets and shops and stores.
It’s time to pause and step back into the present time frame for a moment. You’ve travelled back to the past, and now we’re back in present. Think of the new perspectives you’ve formed. If you don’t feel like you’ve changed any of your original views, that’s okay too. Everyone is different.
The present is in your hands. You can choose which meaning you give to this phrase – whether it’s today or the gift that you have in your hands. Perhaps – you have both.
THE FUTURE
The Horoscope
We often wonder about the future and let ourselves become mesmerised by it. What will happen? What if I could predict the future?
Now here’s your try at it. Go ahead and predict tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. And the next.
What happens? Though we aren’t capable of saying the exact events that will happen each minute, we can say a lot about our tomorrows. You can decide that you’re going to read a new book, spend more time with people you care about, get your homework done early instead of late for a change, clean up your room so your mom isn’t chasing you all over the house …
In other words, we’re capable of setting goals and planning what we will do. By doing so, you’re taking a peek into your future. Your future, in a way, is in your hands – you can choose so much of what will ultimately contribute to shaping your future. Create a Horoscope section in your notebook or journal or whatever you’re using.
In the Horoscope, write out the day’s plans – or the week’s – just a simple sketch or outline. Nothing fancy. Remind yourself what you need to get done – set deadlines and goals – and see if you can meet those expectations. Once you’re there, you’ll start to realise that maybe predicting the future isn’t so hard after all.
Remember that we all need a purpose in life. It doesn’t have to be something significant and glorious and life-changing like Mother Theresa or your favourite pop star or the president or something. You can be a happy, average, and good person – and be respected for that by the people around you. You don’t need the entire world’s encouragement to do something right – something that would make yourself proud. We all have our own purposes, and we were all created to do something. Maybe you haven’t found yours yet, but you’re on your way, whether you realise or not. Let it come to you naturally – it will find you. You don’t need to try so hard to find destiny; it’s destined to be yours, so why bother playing hide-and-seek? Without purpose, we would be awfully boring creatures roaming around on this planet. Simply put – we need purpose, and so we set goals and plan to get fulfil our purpose. That’s a good step to take from now on if you haven’t already started doing so.