Who has not imagined at one time or another what it would be like to have a time machine? Time is such a fascinating concept that the idea of moving either forward or backward from the present moment has most likely occurred to each of us at one time or another. Quite possibly the only time in our lives when this idea does not have appeal would be at the very beginning of life. For that brief period following our entry into our world, appearances and behavior tend to confirm that our only goal is satisfaction of our needs of the moment. 

As we get a little older, we become accustomed to wishing we could move through time, especially into the future. It is called play, and it is a healthy part of a child’s growth and development. We play at grown-up activities, like school, house and other pursuits that we see in our world or on television or in the movies. We might act out roles such as cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, soldiers, pirates or professionals such as athletes or dancers. Each of these, and numerous other activities, make us dream about having our own time machine to take us to some point in the future we wish we had achieved right now.

Adults in our lives aid in our participation in this time machine dreaming by asking what we want to be when we grow up. This dreaming occurs in the normal course of our lives when we look ahead to things like summer vacation, a family trip, time at camp as well as Christmas and birthdays. We can project our thoughts ahead in time by dreaming of things like college or starting our careers, marriage and having a family.

When I first saw the movie Back to the Future, I realized that my fantasy time machine would not take me to some imagined future time. Instead, I found myself wishing I could go into the past. For me, it is not so much wishing I could go into some period in the distant past that I thought would be better than what I was experiencing at the present time. My dream for a time machine was one that would take me back in my own life to the time before I had made a few decisions in my life. I admit I have wanted the chance to make several decisions differently, based on what I now know. None of these changes come from any deep regret over how my life has turned out. There are simply a few times when I would like to have had the chance to choose a different direction.

As we move forward, we may want to consider that in life we have a marvelous time machine. We have the amazing ability to see everything that has gone on in the past and to learn the valuable lessons the past has for us as we move into the future with hope and anticipation. By seeing our movement through time in this way we can come to embrace every moment and every experience as it comes along.

Life, therefore, is the amazing time machine we have each been given. May we learn to enjoy it more and more each day.

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