The prompt for the second day of Shimelle’s My Freedom class is “If
you could travel in time for just one day, where would you go and what
would you do?”
My first thought was to go back in time. Back to my wedding day. The day
I met Jake. The day we first kissed. The day I found out about David.
The day I gave birth to David. My swearing in ceremony. My telegram of
acceptance in to Carnegie Mellon. Walking on campus for the first time.
So many memorable moments in the past.
Then I realized maybe I could go into the future. The prompt doesn’t
mention the past specifically. Maybe I could go to David’s wedding day.
Or when we are retired. Or when my next kid is born. Maybe just go ten
years into the future and see how things work out. Or maybe not. I’ve
never been a fan of wanting to know the future. Too scared. Also, it’s
no fun. What’s the point if you already know how things are going to
work out? So the future is out.
I know I could have thought in the historical sense too but I’ve never
been a fan of history. So that’s that.
Then I thought, hmmm, do I get to go back as the now me and speak to the
then me? Can I give me some advice? How about some consolation? Can I
tell the “past-me” that I will actually get into the college of my
dreams. Or that I’ll get this job or that I will find the man of my
dreams. Can I tell her things are going to work out? But isn’t that
cheating? Would the past-me believe the present-me? Should she? Hmmm
that got too complicated too.
So how about just going back to observe. Like to my wedding day, which I
mostly don’t remember. But my logic kicked in again and said that
sometimes the way we remember things is more important than the way they
actually were. Memory does what it does for a reason. So that was out too.
I guess I am just not traveling in time after all. Well, maybe to the
far far future where I will be dead and I get to come back once more
just to see my kids and give them one more hug. Is that fair? Since this
is my imagination, I say it is.
