beat.

Recently in my film class we talked about "beats"
These are the points in the story where the character or plot changes permanently.
Things cannot go back to what they once were.

In We Were Soldiers the telegram comes explaining that her husband has died, and she can't go back.
Lord of the Rings. Frodo gets the ring, there's no going back.

Most of us don't have husbands off to war (if any of you reading this do, I think you're incredible) and only a few of us will inherit a magical, possessed ring but there are always moments where there is no going back. Not in a scary way, necessarily (anyone else have The Point of No Return from Phantom of the Opera running through their head right now?) but in an exciting way.

I chose to come to BYU and my life is permanently altered.
If you walk up and introduce yourself to someone, your life is altered. There is no pretending like you don't know who that person is.
You open a can of olives and it spills all over you, there's no not opening that can once it's done.

We learn things and interact with people everyday.
There is no remaining neutral or stagnant.

And as much as we may want things to be how they once were. You can never go back to how things were, exactly.

Which I think is good motivation for moving forward proactively.