Hind-Sight?

This time of the year naturally lends itself to the assessment of all that has happened over the past twelve months. Many of us look back and think about whether the year has been good or bad. Some of us see the passing of the old as a relief and look to the new with hope for better times to come.

Reflecting on this season of reflection made me wonder about where the term hindsight came from and if we use the term correctly. It's fun sometimes to look up common phrases and see where they originated in our language. Some aren't even used properly.

The word hind can actually be defined as either a noun or an adjective. If you use it as a noun you are using it to describe a deer, specifically a red, female deer. The word is used as a noun in the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 5:19) in quite a suggestive manner. ;)

If you use hind as an adjective you are referring the the backside of an animal or the posterior.

The origins of the word hindsight originally referred the back sight of a firearm. It's wasn't until later in the 19th century that it began to be referred to in a way meaning that our understanding or recognition of the realities or possibilities of a situation were improved after its occurrence. Thus the phrases hindsight is 20/20, or everyone's a genius in hindsight, came into being.

This does seem to be the case as we reflect on our year as it gets ready to pass into the annuls of memory. But don't let your hindsight bog you down in regrets. Instead, make a point of learning from what could or might have been then move on. The new year is still full of possibilities. If you go into it with a positive attitude and a determination to be proactive, things will at least start off on the right note or foot or whatever phrase you want to use.

I wish all of you a happy holiday season and a very healthy and prosperous new year. See you in 2015!