成人论坛

聽From Remona Aly, Freelance journalist and editor:

If there鈥檚 one TV ritual that I annoyed my family with, it was watching Mary Poppins day in and day out on VHS. I desperately wanted the perfect nanny鈥檚 carpet bag filled with bottomless magic and lofty lamps. I wanted to 鈥楽tep in Time鈥� with chimney sweeps on the rooftops of London.

But the most magical scene for me, was when Mary Poppins, the children and Dick van Dyke鈥檚 bizarre cockney accent jumped into a painting on the pavement, transporting themselves to another world in milliseconds.

I feel like doing the same when looking through old family photographs. If only I could jump into different points in my life in a puff of cloudy memories, knowing what I know now.

I鈥檇 leap into the photo of me aged 5 when I was bubbling with excitement about going to a fair, and say, 鈥楾oday is the first day you鈥檒l encounter prejudice because you鈥檙e different, but don鈥檛 be sad, you鈥檒l turn it into a strength later.鈥�

I鈥檇 jump into the picture of me when I鈥檓 14 and say, I know you hate looking in the mirror, but focus on beautifying the inside, the rest will follow. (I鈥檓 still waiting on that one.)

And I wish I could step into the photograph of me aged 30 with my father, and whisper in my ear, 鈥楾his is the last photograph you鈥檒l have with dad. Cherish this moment.鈥� But everything has its time and place - my past can鈥檛 be lived in hindsight. What I knew in the evening of my life, isn鈥檛 what I was meant to know in the morning.

The great Muslim Persian poet Shams Tabrizi advised: 鈥楾ry not to resist the changes which come your way. Instead, let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?鈥�

Belief in the great unknown isn鈥檛 just part of my faith, it鈥檚 the vehicle of my life. That which lays before us is as exciting and unpredictable as a picture yet to be painted or a photograph yet to be taken. So I won鈥檛 yearn to step back in time to be practically perfect in every way like Mary Poppins, but I will leap forward into the great mystery of the open road. 聽