We are all time travellers.
There. I said it.
Am I crazy? Maybe. But hear me out before you judge me.
And before your imagination goes out of control, no, I don’t mean like Back to the Future where you hop into a hyper-marketed, underperforming, stainless steel toaster on wheels, plug in your preferred date, and press the go button while cruising at a speed of 86 mph. I also don’t mean through the use of some steampunk-esque contraption that will catapult you far into the future with a tip of your top hat and back in time for cocktail hour with your friends. No, these are works of fiction and are likely to remain so.
But…
Consider for a moment the progression of one single day in your life. Pick today, for example. How did it begin? You woke up and got out of bed, I assume. But what then? Did you eat breakfast? Did you shower? Did you get dressed? Did you exercise? These may seem like simple and pointless questions, but there’s a reason I’m asking you this. These are all choices you make. Points in time. Events that occur in a day. Do you remember waking up this morning? Do you remember getting up? You lived through that experience. There was a point when the rest of your day hadn’t happened yet.
What time is it now?
Are you getting home from work? Making dinner? Sitting on a couch, watching TV? That moment when you got up and out of bed has long passed. Here you are in a different moment. A different experience. A different time.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Of course, time progresses. The day goes by, hour by hour, and eventually, it will come to an end. That’s pretty basic.
But were you really aware that time was passing? Did you really notice each and every moment of your day? Or did you just focus on the highlights?
Remember when you were a child, and you couldn’t wait for your birthday? It always felt like it was out of reach. So far away. You were so excited about the big day. Then, suddenly, your birthday was here. You made it to that very moment you thought would never come. Do you remember all the points in between? I’m sure you remember a few, but in this case, somehow, you went from point “A” to point “B” in the blink of an eye. Then, before you know it, that moment is gone, and you’re living a whole new day. The moment may have passed, but it’s not gone forever because it still exists in your memory.
That’s the secret to time travel. There isn’t some revolutionary machine. No phone booth. Forget the gizmos, knick-knacks, and wormholes. It’s just you.
Is there something you were looking forward to? Dreading? Wanting to avoid? Wanting to accomplish? Birthdays, weddings, promotions, projects, failures, and hard conversations. Those things are still ahead of you. They are still coming. They will happen, and then they will be behind you. Some of these moments come quickly. Others may feel like an eternity away. But there is a version of you that will go through these experiences in the future, whether you want to, or not. And when you do, those moments will hit you, and you’ll find yourself thinking, “where did the time go?”
We are all time travellers. And the only way to go is forward.
Image Credit: WatchTheSkiies
The CJBuzz 