I have to be honest here.
It irks me when anyone replies to the questions of if you could go back in time and change something...? with the answer I wouldn't change a thing because it made me the person I am today.
Total copout of an answer.
Total and utter ridiculousness.
(okay, sidebar to say that the person who really irks me the VERY MOST that said this publicly was my starter husband. we are friendly-ish with each other now after 25ish years, but buddy....he sure could have answered this better. if he needed help making a list I coulda got that bad boy started for him...)
I mean, clearly we are, in part, the sum of what our choices has made us, but....if I could change something, if I could right some wrong, if I could be a kinder, gentler version of myself in multiple instances I totally would.
- I wouldn't make that neighbor boy eat dirt. I was heady with power at the age of 4 and it made me an awful despot.
- I wouldn't have ever made my mama cry from my attitude towards her as a teen.
- I wouldn't have tucked those mean words from that boy I thought was so cute into my heart and felt less-than for YEARS because of it.
- I would have let my weirdo flag fly much sooner without worrying so dang much about the judgement of others
- I would have spent much more time with my grandparents
- I would have bought the red shoes
- I would have listened more and talked less
- I would have loved myself enough to leave situations that made me feel icky instead of trying to be cool
- I would have stressed less over the small stuff.
- I would never ever have answered this question with the dumb lame-o answer of "um...nothing...because it made me the person I am today." ever.
These are just a smattering of the things I could go back and change if such things were allowed in the space-time continuum.
What a great--and humbling--Slice. It is good to sometimes remember the ways we screwed up; as long as we don't wallow in our mistakes, I think it can keep us humble. I'm so glad I get to read your posts again this March; I need to remember to hop over to your blog more often!
ReplyDeleteThanks! So much in life to keep me humble! ;)
DeleteI love the blend of funny and rueful truth in this post.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I may have to borrow the format. I, too, can think of a middle school boy, probably in the middle of his own growing up traumas, that spoke words that I tucked into my heart forever. And I wish I wouldn't have...
ReplyDeleteThank you! Isn't that the way of it, though----I shudder to think that some boy from my past has a package of hurt that was given unintentionally by my middle school self, too. I wish that time was kinder in general.
Delete