...When All is Said and Dunn

Did you ever wish you could go back in time and change a little mistake you made? I sure do. With all the stupid mistakes I have made in my life, I could keep a time machine or a magic “past mistake eraser” busy 24/7 for at least a month. Nothing major, just little stumbles here and there, things that if I could undo I would. Just clean up little regrets I have.

In most cases they were childhood mistakes. Things that had I been smarter at the time, I probably wouldn’t have done. But being your average kid of the sixties/early seventies, logic was not really high on my priority list. When everything in the world around you is based on rebellion you go with the flow, or at least I did.

Now I know, if such a machine existed, there would be bigger fish to fry in the history of the world. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could have that one moment in time that they would like to prevent or change (insert yours here). So let’s pretend that the technology does exist, and is as commonplace as the computer and all those ills could be rectified. That for a nominal fee you could take a little trip down memory lane and do a little karma house cleaning. What would it be?

Would it be something relatively simple like changing the way that you said something? More times than not it seems that what we say impacts how our life flows. How many times, as soon as the words leave your lips, have you wanted to suck them right back into your mouth? In this last week George W. Bush, who seems to be using Don King’s thesaurus, wishes he could. If you think back on it, I bet you can come up with quite a few yourself.

That is, of course, assuming that you are the type of person who cares what other people feel and think about the things you say. I have known, worked with, and dealt with people who either didn’t care or were too stupid to realize what was coming out of their mouths. They were completely oblivious to how moronic they sounded or to the hurt feelings that they were causing. The type of person who talks first and thinks about it later. These people, if they ever got a clue, would have to spend eternity going back in time to make up for all the damage they have done.

What else could you do on a small scale? React to a situation differently? I know how tough it is to control your initial reaction to any given situation. But just think about it for a second, remember we have a time machine now. You could, based on knowing how a person was going to react, rehearse what the proper response to the situation would be.

Just think of how many accidents you could avoid, auto and otherwise. With a few trips back you could wipe that driving record clean. Think of the scars you could erase. How many relationships could you have saved? Whether they were romantic or just friendships, you could go back and replay how you wanted it to go. How many times did you stay in a relationship, that deep in your heart you knew was doomed, but gave it a second chance anyway? Think of all the pointless grief you could erase and how your life would progress. Think of the friends you might still have had you acted and reacted differently at that key moment.

Or how about if you could go back and change your vote. Your one vote may not change much in a national or a county election but it might in a smaller venue. Say for example the PTA or a youth sports league, where even though it is a volunteer organization the executives are voted in.

How many times have we voted for people who are volunteering? People who are willing to give so much of their time and energy when no one else will, and the reaction of so many is that the outcome of the election holds the fate of the world in the balance. Well, we all know it doesn’t. And yet, on the other hand, having to deal with the elected officials of an organization that you have to deal with for six, eight or ten months out of the year or even longer can be uncomfortable at best if the wrong people are elected.

Whether elected or appointed by those who are elected, volunteers have an obligation to do what they've said they'd do. That means sticking with the job until it's done, even if you don't get the team you wanted, or you got the messy job that never seems to end. Do it, do it well, and do it until it's done.

Wouldn't you rather go back in time and make sure some people weren't elected or appointed? I sure would. I'd like to make sure that my vote was cast for someone I could count on.

Sometimes it's a good idea to travel in the time machine and relive a few painful blunders so we can try not to make them again. As it has been said before, those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.