LIFE REWIND? HOW DOES THAT WORK

For a life rewind, the big question is how far to rewind?

Let’s agree to one thing: not as far as the picture here.

That’s too far.

But how far is far enough?

Too many people want a life rewind too early.

Ask a baby boomer about timing and they might say you need some disappointments, regrets, and remorse before going rewind.

Then there’s this:

Sound like a life rewind to you? Me, too.

Did your thirties, if you’ve been there and done that, resemble anything about unlearning?

Maybe it’s just me, but getting married and having kids in my thirties meant learning more than I wanted about people I cared about.

More than I wanted because who knows what’s going to happen when you start introducing new people to this old world.

Some like it more than others.

I know people who spent their thirties trying to have a happier childhood. So do you.

It never goes the way you’d expect.

Instead of celebrations they get, “When are you going to grow up?”

“We thought you were through this stage.”

And, “This is how you spend your time.”

That’s what I got for deciding to live in a city apartment alone in my twenties instead of pursuing tangible goals.

For one person I was ripe fruit ready to pick and I’ve never looked back.

Look Back If You Dare

When I look back at the people I knew when I was single, a few stand out for the wrong reasons.

One guy had a big plan to date high school seniors the rest of his life. He was a young 32 and creepy as hell.

Who has dating goals like that? He’d been to seventeen proms so far.

What he was doing was creating problems for everyone later in life when they tell about the guy they went to the prom with. Lot’s of explaining for this one, unless you see them for who they are:

The guy was a case of arrested development that some dad might track down; the girls were looking for any escape from their daddy.

A life rewind would be dating a girl who didn’t have daddy problems, which is perfect for guys with mommy problems.

Who has mommy and daddy problems? Everyone, but they become less of a problem when kids become parents with the same problems.

“I don’t want to turn into my mother.”

“Why don’t the kids love us more, we do everything we can for them.”

You might need more fuel in that helicopter, boomer.

What A Life Rewind Looks Like

You don’t just wake up a new person. First, do the work.

It’s more than a new hair color, clothes, shoes, or anything else in your outward appearance.

What it is, is attitude, and no matter what you look like, that’s what shows up first and what people remember when you leave.

Bring an attitude of interest, of curiosity. Get to know someone better and they’ll feel better about themselves.

If all they’ve had in the life are jerks, don’t be a jerk. Throw that change-up and let them know there are different people in the world.

You may not be the one for them, but at least they know there might be someone decent.

You’ll know you’re on the right track when you hear something and stay silent instead of jumping up to correct. Not everything needs your approval.

You’re on the right track when you take time to listen, really listen, to hard truth.

I did a life rewind to find a way to help others overcome. Overcome what I’m not exactly sure, but I listened hard enough to have some weird ass reaction, an emotional reaction, that landed me in the ICU for a night of observation.

You don’t have to listen that hard.

But, try and listen enough. That’s all you need to do, and it’s your decision about enough.