Last week Tracy wrote a piece called Can I Start Again? in which she talked about what it would be like if we could get a free pass or a ‘do over’ at certain times in our lives. Using a great keyboard analogy, she asked if you would chose to Delete certain events? Control others? Maybe Backspace in order to make your life more ‘perfect’? Interesting…

I thought a lot about this all weekend.  Would I actually, for sure, want to redo any part of my life, and if so, why? Is self-editing, like when you have second thoughts and decide to delete an angry email instead of sending it off, really such a bad thing?

Instead of using a keyboard I’d probably use a TiVo remote control to adjust my life. I’d really like to have that pause button so I could stop the action and allow myself the chance to think up really good snappy repartee when in conversation. My partner would have no idea I was cheating but would just think I was incredibly witty. I could also use the fast forward buttons to skip over all the parts of life I’m not so fond of like housework, bill paying and waiting while my highlights (foils) are put in. I’d still have to do all those things, I’d just do it all at supersonic speed. Kinda like how the Bionic Woman would chase down the bad guys back in the 70′s.

The fast forward button would have to work just for me so that only I would be affected by it. What I mean is that I’d want all my girlfriends to marvel at how I was able to get so much done during the day without them knowing my secret. Painting, housework, the garden. Of course, I’d tell them all eventually… (once the thing broke or was lost. Remotes are always disappearing around here) but I’d enjoy feeling competent for a little while, at least.

You know, there are some people who do have fast forward buttons. They’re called employees! Gardeners, cooks, maids, paper filers! Crap! I need to get a job that pays really well so I can hire all the people I need to do the stuff I just want to fast forward over! There’s the rub! It’s all about working hard to create the life you want! There is no magic button, either on a keyboard or a remote control device or a GDO (shout out to all my SG-1 homies!) We have to work with what we’ve got day by day, and if you don’t like how things are going, find a way to change direction. Easier said than done, I know. There are tons things we can’t change that we wish we could so we have to work within a certain framework sometimes. We can always change our attitude, right? That’s something no one else can do for us! You can’t hire someone to have a positive attitude for you while you sulk in the background.

Perhaps having a positive attitude is the best way to affect change in ourselves and in others around us. A smile, a cheerful laugh, is contagious, after all.  Maybe all we really have control over are our reactions to the actions around us? How we choose to react sets the tone for the next action?

I think I’m going to concentrate less on what I don’t want to do and more on how I can do those things with the right attitude. Forget the fast forward button. I might miss a good joke along the way and that would be tragic! And have you ever heard a belly laugh played double time? Sounds more like an evil cackle… hmmm. The more I think about it the more I’m convinced to stick to real time living. Bottom line: There are no shortcuts unless you’re willing to give something up ~ and is that really worth it?