If I was asked what kind of superpower I would prefer to possess in life, I would unhesitatingly choose the ability to travel back in time. Rather than possessing invisibility, flight, super strength, or incredible speed, I have always wanted to go back in time for a couple of reasons.
Throughout my life, I have made a lot of mistakes that I truly regret. But I know that making mistakes is what makes me human. Even so, there will always be a part of me that thinks beyond life—wondering if I could just turn back time and undo the things I want to make right.
If given the chance, I would have wanted to go back to all the times when I failed. In all those moments when I quit trying or even failed to try at all, I would have wanted to see an alternate reality where my motivation and hard work could have been worth it. I have also experienced heartbreaking failures in situations that I hoped would work out instantly. There have been times in my life when I wanted to persevere despite the challenges and the outcome, and I wonder how my life would have turned out if I pushed harder, if I put my heart and mind into it more. This kind of fantasy—the thought of a different outcome, one where I succeeded—remains stuck in my head whenever I imagine what could have been.
Growing up, I learned from my mistakes and turned them into valuable lessons. Having regrets is a natural part of being human after all, but it remains to be one of the most painful things a person can suffer from. It lingers in your head—the things you did, should not have done, and could have done. It’s hard to shake these off. Indeed, it is inevitable to encounter or to stumble upon hardships, but what really matters is the mindset or the outlook that we hold toward life in order to turn our shortcomings into something great.
Especially since my loved one passed away when I was at a very young age, all regrets and “what ifs” continue to haunt me as time passes by. I think about all that we could have done more to spend time and enjoy moments together. I regret not making up for all my shortcomings toward them. I wish I could have learned the wisdom he wanted to pass down to me from him himself, and this continues to make me feel incomplete. In the end, all that’s left in me are blasts of nostalgia with him that I’ll continue to treasure and the belief that he would be proud of what I had become now if he was still here.
My journey so far has strengthened me as a person as I learned everything the hard way. One could say that everything that had happened to me before led me to who I am now, and it has. Some of these experiences may be something to be worth being thankful for, but most of them were things I wished I had dealt with better. Life can be similar to a rollercoaster, especially when we’re seeing it from the lowest point. However, these moments do not last and eventually lead to something greater for us. Instead of beating ourselves up for moments in the past that we cannot do something about, we can use the present to look forward to the coming days when they may not hold any more pain or suffering.
Now, I would rather put in the dedication to become a better version of myself that I had no idea I could be or achieve, and it is the most beautiful thing that I believe I can give myself. I can always improve and be a better version of myself day by day. Making and owning up to every mistake we make along the way will always be part of life. It’s okay to fail or feel remorseful about something. At the end of the day, our past could only provide us much with what we had done before and what we know now, but it will never dictate how our lives should progress. After all, we always have the present to dictate how our future will be.
The beauty of life that we don’t seem to realize is the fact that we can never turn back the clock and rewind things that already happened. In this way, we can enjoy the present moment and look forward to another beautiful day coming. Though traveling back in time sounds like a good offer to anyone, the fact that it is an impossible feat leaves a message to appreciate the moment and let it be.
