I just finished reading forget about it, by Caprice Crane. It is an amazing novel. I had a hard time putting it down. It is about a twenty-five year old that doesn’t really like how her life has turned out so far. She starts thinking about a do-over. And then, as if the universe heard her, she gets into a car accident and decides to use it to fake amnesia. This way she can have a fresh start and make some changes in her life.
It got me thinking. Why do we need to have an excuse to change something about our lives? We do it all the time. That’s what New Years Resolutions are all about. People often resolve to change things about themselves after a birthday, a promotion, or a failed relationship.
But why do we need the excuse?
Is it because it is really hard to make a change? Is it because other people would have a hard time accepting our choice to change? Maybe it is. But I think if we are living and acting in ways just because it is easy, we really need to reevaluate ourselves.
I know that I typically don’t make New Year’s Resolutions but I have made several life resolutions whenever I felt the need. I have changed a few things about myself that I didn’t like over the years.
I think life is about making choices. Choices that you can be comfortable with. If you are making choices that go against what you are thinking or feeling then you are not going to be satisfied in life. I know that I have made some horrible decisions in my life but I think I have learned from them and did my best to move on.
I don’t know what I would do if I had to restart my entire life. I don’t think I’d want to wipe the slate clean and just start over again. Life is about our experiences and what we make and do with them. I know that if I could redo certain things that I would make better choices and wouldn’t have had so many failures. But we learn from each and every failure. And I kind of like the journey.
4 responses to “Excuse to Change?”
Exactly – life wouldn’t be nearly as interesting or as good without choice. We are the people we are because of the choices we’ve made. Mistakes, or no mistakes, I, for one, wouldn’t change anything.
BTW, I read that book – couldn’t put it down either.
I hear ya Leese. I try to live with no regrets. But I still sometimes look back and think what if….
Of course, I realize that this way of thinking doesn’t really help at all. Things happen for a reason. Even if we don’t know what that reason is.
I would certainly change a whole lot of things, believe me. Mistakes may make us the persons that we are and we should learn from them, but some mistakes have hurt other people.
I would go back to third grade and not make fun of the girl with the plain lunch box, for starters.
ECD, it would be nice to go back and undo some of the hurt we’ve caused. But undoing those situations and events could undo us as well. I don’t know if we can truly separate who we are from what we have done and experienced.
Still though, it’s a nice thought.