Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The Time Traveler's Wife

I started reading The Time Traveler's Wife last night. My friend, Pam, lent it to me and said she thought I would really enjoy it. Now I love the idea of time travel, in fact, as a kid that's all I really wanted. A time machine. So this book sounded right up my alley.

But wow. I read the prologue and first chapter last night. Talk about a mind-bender. I really had to use my cranial muscles to work out the idea of how this guy zipped back into time and how it worked and why he didn't know what he did. Or didn't. Whatever. Anyway, it took some thinking, but it was worth it. I like books that change my perception or open up a new way of thinking. And this book definitely does that. I'm at the end of chapter one and I'm already hooked.

But it got me to thinking. If you could go back in time, would you change anything? Some instant or incident in your past that you would alter? Outside of say people you loved passing away, because I'm not sure you could change an inevitability.

I'm trying to think about the idea of that myself. The major events I think I would leave as is. Even the more painful ones. They made me who I am to some extent, and I like who I am. What if altering them, altered me, and then I'd be someone different? Hmm...this may take some extra thought.

So what would you change? And if you did, how do you think it would change things for you today?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I need to pick up this book. I've had to recommended to me by so many people, but I always seem to forget about it when I go to Chapters.

I don't think I would change much about my life. Maybe teach myself to stress less over the little things. I'm glad I've had some of the experience that I did - good and bad.

Maybe I'd give myself the winning lotto numbers though.

Bailey Stewart said...

I thought of a couple of things, but then the scenario for other parts of my life would change - parts I wouldn't want different, like I wouldn't have been in the situation to take care of my mother; this leads to not being in the situation to start blogging; in turn, not meeting any of you. Nope, as much as I would like to change this one thing, the other stuff makes up for it.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, well there's probably one relationship I'd wipe out. Just not take the opportunity when presented to me. And I'd have spent more time talking to my paternal grandmother. Her English disappeared the older she got, so I kinda just did the basics with my meagre Polish. Wish I'd worked at it more. But that's about it.

Anonymous said...

I'd leave everything the same, except I would have started writing seriously a lot sooner. Like twenty years sooner. Sheesh! If I had done that, I'd probably be published by now!

Melissa Amateis said...

Oh boy. I don't know - I think that everything that happened to me in my life has made me into the person I am today. Without some of those key experiences, who knows where I'd be now?

Lexi said...

Wow, what a thought! I can think of a couple of things I'd change, but not many. Like everyone else says, those events have made me who I am today and I kinda like myself!

As for the book, I've been thinking about reading that for years. Haven't done it yet. Let me know how it turns out!

Anonymous said...

I heard that book was amazing. One of these days...

Gosh, if I could go back. I think I'd travel to the turn of the century and tell people about the environmental impacts of everything that's been done. Noble cause, right? But self serving. I think we'd all be healthier!

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. There's so many I'd change. LOL. Probably a few bad choices I made when I was in my late teens. But what can you do.