A helping hand?

I'm a bit stressed. I am currently doing my AS level art exam, the title is "Rhythms and Cycles" and at first I felt completly uninspired, I did my ideas page and still just had a huge mental block, not helped by my crazy art teacher who tends to go on and on and just make me stressed and confused.

So anyway, I've finally come up with a hazy idea which I either love or hate- I can't tell. Basically I'm going to focus on the rhythms of life- emotions, thoughts and general outlook. I've been told to keep a diary for a week and write down every idea and emotion I have alongside photos/tickets etc. The focus of my project will be about now- how I see things and the things I feel, as well as my day-to-day life. I want to link these to my past to see how things change and how I've changed as a person.
This is where you lovely followers and fellow bloggers come in :) I thought of using symbolism in my final piece, three objects to represent my past, present and future. But I would also like other people's input to show different views. If you could tell me which objects best represent your past, present and future, it would be fantastic and would really help me with my project. They can be any objects, even animals, foods or plants. I won't use any of your personal details just the info you give me.

For example my mum said...
Past- wheelbarrow (she has worked hard but needed support)
Present- folder (she feels overloaded with work and general stress)
Future- she hopes would be roses (sweet and beautiful?)

Sorry if I've explained this really badly, it's difficult to tell you all the ideas without making the post too long. If you could help me it would be great, feel free to ask questions if it's confusing. Thank you :)

x