Time Machines aren't real

Let’s think about time travel. But less “Back to the Future” time travel, and more “Ebenezer Scrooge” time travel.  Think of yourself 10 years ago.  Imagine you are visiting an event in your life back then.  What kinds of things do you notice about your personality, your relationships with family, friends and loved ones?  What were the goals, and hopes, and dreams of your 10 year younger self?  Now picture yourself 10 years ago, visiting your current self.  What are the observations that the younger self makes regarding your current state?  Have goals been accomplished, have priorities changed at all, or are they mostly the same?

I venture that for some of us, both experiences may cause some slight depression (even if only upon seeing the clothing/hair styles our younger self was wearing 10 years ago). On the other hand, this self reflection, might cause us great joy. Perhaps we landed that dream job we had hoped for 10 years ago.  Perhaps our family or social relationships are exactly what we dreamed they would be. For some of us, we may be doing exactly what we thought we would be doing 10 years ago.  For some-maybe not. For some, life in 2012 is possibly even better than we thought it would be 10 years ago.   Regardless of our perception of what we thought the world would be like in 2012way back in 2002-and regardless of how much our 2012 self has lived up to what the 2002 self thought we would be-the reality is, there is a certain clarity that comes from examining how our goals and hopes and dreams change throughout the years.

Now you may be asking yourself, to what honor we owe this dimensionally diluted discourse. Has Ben started drinking? Has he come across an old bottle of percocets that may have expired back in 2005? The answer is no to both. Maybe it’s because it is the middle of October, and I feel like this year has gone by faster than years previous for some reason.  Maybe it’s because it is an election year.  Maybe it’s because the author has a four year old son that seems to grow up more and more every week, and his father just isn’t ready for it.  In the mission field, it’s common to have “companion inventory” in an effort to resolve issues, build a more efficient partnership, and ultimately a more successful companionship.  Often it becomes necessary to conduct a companionship inventory when the two missionaries no longer seem to be working in unison.  Perhaps distractions, or discouragement, or even misperceptions have caused them to lose focus on their shared goal. 

I think the philosophy of an “inventory” is quite sound.  Whether it is an inventory with your spouse or roommates, or friends, or even yourself, it is nice to occasionally recalibrate your compass, check your bearings , and identify areas that could use more of your focus. 

I encourage all of you to take inventory.  If you are having a hard time getting started, think of these questions:

“If my 2002 self could see my 2012 self, what is the first thing they would notice?”

“What does my 2012 self-want to see out of my 2022 self, ten years from now?”

Admittedly, this post is a little out of character for me.  If you were attracted to the catchy title, only to be let down by the lack of humorous quips you've no doubt come to expect from me, I apologize.  I assure you my soul searching, thought provoking posts are few and far between.  Mostly I leave that up to some of my friends, who are much better at it than I.