The other day the smell of coffee kicked me straight back to a morning waking up in LaMarque, Texas, at my grandparents' house. I thought, Am I also there? Later when I take my lunch break will I also in some other universe be driving to Baskin Robbins with my grandpa? He'll fix a light in the store while I eat my grape flavored ice cream with gummi bears. Later we'll sit at the grand piano while he serenades me with his made up songs and I'll strum away on that stringed instrument I can never remember the name of.
I understand basic mathematics. I know parallel lines will never cross. But what if we could? What if we had a meeting with our previous or future self? I wonder if my previous self would listen to me now. I wonder what she would think of me. Usually I am fairly positive I would be a little scared of my former self, and just how determined, focused, and clear minded she seems to me now. I wonder if I would even want to tell her anything. Maybe I'd comfort the fifteen year old me "Listen, self... don't worry about the other chick. You win out every time and she ends up marrying someone not at all attractive. It's not worth stressing about." Or maybe I'd warn the eighteen year old self, "Don't leave your car overnight across the street from The Yellow Rose. It will get broken into, and they'll steal your 2pac CD." However I can't even watch a movie with someone who has seen it before because I usually end up manipulating them into telling me how it ends. I can't imagine what I would do if I had my future self available to tell me all.
Mostly I think I'd just want to say to whichever version of me, future or past, "Be happy." So much of the beauty in my life has come from unexpected outcomes.
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