We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
--from the AA Ninth Step Promises
It has sometimes taken me a very long time to see any good in "bad" things in my past, and to be honest, there are some "bad" things I do not think I will
ever see good in. But b/c of things that I saw as "bad" or not what I expected/wanted at the time, I've learned a lot about how to live frugally and how to entertain myself. I've never had a "career path", but that has kept me from being paralyzed w/fear when I've needed to change jobs.
And most of all, being burdened w/things I didn't understand and too heavy to carry alone has taught me that I DO need other people; I'm not a freaking island even though I spent many years thinking I was one, or at least a peninsula!
