the rear view mirror

I was thinking about the words on a rear view mirror ~ objects are closer than they appear ~ what if the "objects" we see in the mirror are our thoughts, feelings and stories from our past? And what does it mean, "they are closer than they appear?" Are they still close enough to be affecting us in the here and now? Are we aware of how close they really are? How often do we keep checking them? And really, how often do we need to look in the rear view mirror? How about every once in awhile when the information will help us move forward, but not constantly looking behind us ( into the past) which can distract us from where we are going? Yes, it's a necessary and helpful tool, but how about several glances.... then keeping our eyes on the road in front of us.