If you could go back in time to any year, what year would it be? What would you do? Who would you meet? For me, the year I’d punch in my time machine (and while we are fantasizing here, it will of course be a hot tub time machine) – 1885.
Why 1885? Well, most of my favorite people in history were alive in 1885. They were all different ages of course. Some had already made their mark and impact on the world. Others were just getting started. If I had more time on my hands, I’d write a short story about it. All the adventures I’d have, the people I’d meet, and the things I would tell them. Yes, I would be the type to break the time travel rules and mess up all of history.
Here are some highlights of my imaginary trip in my hot tub time machine:
I’d visit London and attend Charles Spurgeon’s church. I’d volunteer in his ministries and tell the people how blessed they were to listen to his sermons in person every week. I’d be so excited to hear what his voice sounded like. I’d tell him cigars and whiskey were actually bad for his health, not beneficial. And I’d tell him I understood what it is to be depressed. I’d pray for his wife and family, whom I’m sure didn’t see enough of him.
While in Europe, I’d spend a significant amount of time with some of my favorite artists – George Seurat, Paul Cezanne, Claude Monet, Mary Cassatt, and my all-time favorite, Vincent Van Gogh. I’d watch them paint and be in awe of their masterpieces. I’d warn Vincent about a character named Paul Gaugin that he should stay away from in the future. Keep your sanity and your ear, Vincent!
I’d hunt down this group of older adults and thank them for inspiring me and so many others with their words and deeds: Emily Dickinson, Florence Nightingale, Walt Whitman, Tchaikovsky, Frederick Douglass, Queen Victoria, and Ulysses S. Grant. We’d read poetry and listen to music together, and I’d be enraptured by their tales and talents. To hear their stories in person would be captivating and awe-inspiring.
Then there’s the crew of young adults I’d need to meet on my trip. Their inventions and contributions to the world are astounding. First, I would stop and thank Marie Curie for her dedication and sacrifice. I would tell her my story of having thyroid cancer and taking my radioactive iodine in ‘mili-curies’, I would visit these amazing men next: Teddy Roosevelt, Nikola Tesla, George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, and Thomas Edison. Can you imagine life without their tenacity and vision?
Last, but certainly not least, I’d hang out with the ‘kids’ in 1885. Can you imagine playtime with these young friends: Picasso, Helen Keller, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and Harry Houdini?! What fun we would have! Oh, and Herbert Hoover, who would be just 11 years old. He wouldn’t get my Hoover Dam jokes, though.
I’d end my trip by meeting my own relatives and hearing the tales of where my grandparents and great-grandparents grew up and how they came to be in America. I’m sure I’d find similarities in our lives and would be fascinated by their stories.
I’d return from my trip utterly exhausted, but filled with so much inspiration and hope. All of these people made the world a better place, and for that I am grateful. The world as we know it today would be so very different without each one of these individuals and their contributions.
Unfortunately, time machines don’t really exist, and we can’t visit or live in the past. But we can make our mark on the future. Kierkegaard famously said, “Life can only be understood backwards, but must be lived forwards.” So we must learn all we can from the past, but press forward. Live for the future. Make a difference. Live forward.
How about you? If there really was such a thing as a hot tub time machine, what year would you go to and why?
INTERTWINED 