386. The Time Traveler

So last night, courtesy of Netflix and their uber-speedy delivery system, The Husband and I curled up and enjoyed the movie “The Time Traveler’s Wife” starring Rachel McAdams. It was a really good movie (albeit it a sad one), and it got me thinking: what if I was a Time Traveler? I’m pretty sure I would avoid seventh grade, but other than that, where would I go?

Surprisingly, I would zip back to the time my children were teeny tiny babies. The reason this is surprising: babies are a lot of work. But now that I have lived through it with two babies, I know that phase is only temporary, so I would love to squeeze their tiny toes, see their toothless grins, and smooth their baby chick-fluff hair once again.

I would go back to the evening I met The Husband for the first time, not because it was the most romantic meeting or anything saccharine like that: no. I would go back so I had a chance to wash my hair and dry it instead of having a frizzy mess for that first impression.

I would revisit The Great Wall of China, not because I met The Husband there or because Tall and Short were tiny babies there, but just because: WOW—The Great Wall of China! How cool is that! I went during high school for a family vacation, and have not had the opportunity to go back since, so time travel would fix that.

Another happy vacation memory: Switzerland. My mom took us one Christmas when I was growing up. It was all snow and castles and trains and strudel and sledding and skiing and postcards come to life. Who doesn’t like Switzerland? (People who hate chocolate, that’s who.)

Maybe I would fix a few mistakes along the way. The moment that large truck swerved in front of me on the highway and a giant rock flipped out of his storage area and smashed the windshield of my new car? Perhaps Time Traveler MOV would’ve recommended I linger at Starbucks for a second or third latte that morning. How about the time Short and I went for a walk and he tripped on the cement sidewalk and broke his collarbone? Hey, watching TV never caused any broken bones, so we could’ve stayed home and watched cartoons in our safe cocoon instead of “getting some fresh air” and “healthy exercise.” Ha—healthy exercise is overrated!

One clever thing the movie’s central character does is buy a lottery ticket. Yes, that would be a tempting idea, and one I confess I would do too. If you know the correct numbers ahead of time, why not?

Time Traveler MOV would hit all the milestones: graduations, weddings, babies’ first steps. However, the foodie in me is embarrassed to admit I would revisit a couple choice food experiences: the ideal pesto fettuccine in Florence, Italy; the strawberry milkshakes my grandmother used to make; scones and clotted cream in London; eggs Benedict from my favorite café in San Diego; any cake I’ve ever eaten to celebrate any occasion.

Ah, yes: Time Traveler MOV has put on a few pounds. But that’s okay, so have I.

MOV