Past Present Future

21st post for #bloganuary (a WordPress event)

The Prompt: If you could, what year would you time travel to and why?

Ah. A classic topic in the ol’ game of imagination. Time travel! In some ways, I kinda selected a version of time travel as my super power in the previous question (Slo-Mo Man), but let’s explore this a little further from another angle or two.

To the Past…

The past is full of memories. Some comforting. Some regrettable. If I go back in time, either to my own timeline of before my birth, I have the opportunity to change the future for better or worse. While there are many things I wish were better in this world, I do not want to risk changing the course of my life. It’s how I got to be who I am. I’ve worked very hard to overcome my challenges – some imposed by others and many imposed by myself. I finally like myself (mostly) and I love my life and the people in it. So, despite the temptation, I’ll pass on the past.

To the Future…

Ah, this is something that I’ve flirted with so many times in my life. It’s the escapist’s dream. Fast forward through a boring school day. Skip past the heartbreak year after a painful breakup. Or jump all the way to life’s finale for the ultimate release. Even these days, when I’m trying to embrace the present, I can find myself fantasizing about retirement during a particularly annoying zoom meeting at work. But to skip ahead is to miss all the presents in between. I don’t want to miss a moment. A chance to share a laugh with my kids. A hug with my wife. An interesting introspection with my mom. A hot coffee or cold beer with a friend. So, its a firm no on fast forwarding to the future for me.

To the Present…

You might be wondering exactly how “time-traveling” to the present would work. Isn’t it just NOT time-traveling at all? Well, I’d argue that while my body is always in the present, my mind is not. My mind is often reliving the past or fantasizing about the future. While this isn’t inherently bad, it tends to be a negative place for me. Either a place of regret, guilt, and resentment. Or a place of unhealthy escapism that leans toward suicidal ideation. So, my choice is to time-travel to the present. It’s the one version of this fantasy that I can actually work on to achieve.

When Time Stills

Where

nothing

happens,

When 

time

stills,

and

the

world

shrinks

to

now,

I

awaken.

Be well,

Monty

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