I Wanna Do Over!

Lately I have heard from a number of friends who wish that they had the chance to relive a moment and make a different decision. It seems that it is very typical for most of us to wish at some point that we can have a do over. The concept makes me think of the Choose Your Own Adventure books that I was such a huge fan of when I was young.

Just in case someone is unfamiliar with the concept, the books would follow a story line that required you to make decisions while reading. Depending on your decision, the book would prompt you to go to a specific page in the book. The outcome could be anything from fortune to sudden death. As a child, I learned quickly that the best way to read these books was to keep my finger where I was before I made the decision. Reading in this manner meant that I could then decide if I liked the outcome and either continue or return to a part of the story before the incorrect decision was made. As time passed and the books seemingly became more complicated, I would have to keep my fingers in a few places in the books to ensure that I didn’t have to start over at the beginning of the book. Laziness is the only answer I can come up with to the question as to why I didn’t just use bookmarks.

It seems that many of us wish that we could have this same power in our lives. Whenever I am tempted by this fantasy, I always remind myself that even if I could go back, I wouldn’t have any more knowledge than I do now on my current path. More importantly, there is no guarantee that I would be any better off. In fact, it is quite reasonable to assume that I would be worse off given the opportunity to explore the other decision. It is our mistakes that make us grow, and it is our actions and experiences that have made us who we are today. A wish to change is a wish to be a different person. Just remember that the clock keeps ticking forward and that tomorrow always delivers on the promise of a new day.