What would you do if you were offered the key to time travel – not to visit periods of time or people, but to go back in time with the ability to reshape who you were; who you are? Would you accept the offer? Would you dare?
The chance to tinker with your personality, your character. I’d love to have less self-doubt, to be more confident. To not feel the need to seek approval/endorsement of others, those in authority. So, the chance to step back in time and change who I am, create a better version of me, is tempting.
However, if I do this, if I change who I was in the past, will that change who I am now. I would expect it to make me a better version of myself, but would it? Would it be possible to control my destiny that closely from a small change in the past?
Alternatively, would who I am today disappear, to be replaced by a stranger. Some stranger who has the characteristics I wanted; who is more self-confident, but because they don’t have any self-doubt and don’t care what others think, is arrogant, rude and insensitive to others’ feelings.
We think about changing for the better, but what choice would you make if it were you? If there is the possibility that the person you are would cease to exist?
This post was prompted by Sadje’s WDYS of 19th December
Great questions and equally great answers….lovely thoughts here Brenda… Some food for thought 👌
I wouldn’t want to go back, as much as I would like to change aspects of myself, every experience in the last 52 years has touched too many things…what would I give up? Even some of the darkest times in my life have blessings attached to them for myself or others. Thanks for the morning musing! 💞💞💞
Thanks Dawn. I agree. I think our experiences in life shape us to make us who we are. We can always strive for improvement but moving forward. Chane/remove one aspect if we were able to go backwards, and it will more than likely expand like ripples into other things
I wouldn’t go back, because I’ve stayed true to myself.
Thank you for your response.
If there was one thing I would change, Brenda, it would have been the courage to have started writing at an earlier time. On the other hand, would I have had the life experiences which I now feel have given me more competence to write. I think we have to live our mistakes to make us who we are. Great question. I can see myself being one big knot by the end of the week thinking about this. 😂
Sorry Davy,I didn’t intend to tie you in knots
It’s fine, Brenda. It does me good to have a few knots to unravel.
🤣
No do overs. I am who I am and I’m loved 💕💕
Sounds like a good approach Lenore
I never wanted to go back ,it is better to learn with time. Although I am 17 but still I have learned a lot of lessons from past few years. I’m happy with myself now
Great post.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Sana
An interesting and intriguing question here Brenda. I think tampering with past would change everything. Thanks for joining in with this thought provoking post.
Thanks Sadje. And thanks for the prompt
My pleasure.
I’ve done so many things I wish I could do over, but like you said, it would change who I am. And after having read Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, I now believe that ‘better’ wouldn’t necessarily be better anyway. Thanks for this food for thought!
Sounds like something I need to read 😁
Thanks for the recommendation of The Midnight Library. I finished reading it last night. I couldn’t put it down.
Great read. A few things recently have made me think about time. Just bought from a charity shop and about to start reading Claudia Hammond ‘Time Warped. Unlocking the Mysteries of Time Perception’ Also. Wrote a song lyric when I was about 20. ‘We smash the clock faces. And try to turn them all back. Wipe out all traces. But tick tock…..the clocks keep ticking’. Thinking over past events, I thought of The Beatles. Love The Beatles. McCartney wrote three words about my thoughts on how to look at life’s journey. ‘Let it be’. Cheers Brenda. Again something you’ve highlighted to get the old noggin’ a joggin’….
Glad you enjoyed it Gray; and got so much out of it. It’s better to focus on living and enjoying what we have today rather than living with regrets or wondering what if. I learned that a few years ago now. There was a decision I felt pressured into making at about 18 by my parents that I regretted for a very long time. Then in my 30s I changed career path which has taken to where I am today. Not only do I have no regrets about that decision, I realise my life would have been very different, and I suspect, less happy
Very much nail on head. I’ve also said no to career choices or, when a musician, to choices that have meant that it could have been far more exciting. After my band toured and supported The Specials on their second album tour I had many huge decisions and offers. I decided I wanted to slow down the pace of life and change. So became a potter! Loved all that period of making ceramics in my life. I still find myself refusing offers in various different artistic fields. But. Decide to follow the heart and really try to enjoy and embrace the alternative choices is a nice philosophy. So pleased you are enjoying your teaching experiences. Your blog writing about it certainly reflects that. All the best.
You are still evolving and your future self is unknown. You can be whoever you want to be you know 💛
Very true, Val. We don’t need to go backwards to achieve that … just explore
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