My wife and I viewed the movie “The Time Traveler’s Wife” last night. It’s a great movie about a child who is in a traumatic car accident and has a genetic mutation that causes him to travel through time. There is one caveat; he has no control over where or when he lands from his time travels. And wherever he lands he is without clothes which creates some real trouble for him. It really was a great movie. I don’t do it justice in my brief outline.
It is a movie about facing yourself at different times in your life. What would you have to say to yourself ten years from now if you could jump ahead in time? Or what would you inform yourself of if you could land in your fourth grade class room and talk to yourself.
The movie got me thinking about what I would say to myself if I could traverse time. I broke it down into a few major sections of my life and put some thought into it. You might want to try the same experiment and see what you come up with.
If I lighted in my eighteenth year I would have a few things to say. “Doug, let your hair grow and don’t let anyone bother you – you only live once. Go ahead and push the limits.” “Doug do a lot more music now it will build your skills for the future and you’ll need it.” Also, “Don’t be so quick to consider marriage. Save some money, do a few things. Buy a house.” Oh and, “Don’t take that year off from school. It will be hard to get back in the swing again.” “And way to go with the Jesus work. Keep it up, you have a future in it.”
If I landed at age twelve I would say. “Spend a lot more time with your grandparents they aren’t going to be around as long as you think. “ “Don’t make friends with Billy Fry, he is going to bring you down by the time you hit high school. Hang out with Roger and Steve they are serious about school.” “And do more exercise you’ll need it for next year’s football team.” “Be nicer to your mom she is working her tail off for you.’
If I were eighty-five I would say, “go easy on me. I was trying my best to figure things out back there.” “I tried to save all the money I could, pal.” “I didn’t think we should borrow so much money in 2009 either.” “I hope I left you a lot of faith and joy.”
“Enjoy my grandkids I invested a lot in them.” “Please call my son often I miss him.”
If I could go back to last year I really wouldn’t change a whole lot. There was more stuff beyond my control going on that any time in my life. I can see now I did pretty well. I would tell myself, “it isn’t going to be as bad as you think in a few months.”
If I could plant myself at any age it would be on my twentieth birthday lounging in Europe trying to find myself. I am not sure I ever did but it was fun looking.
