Life’s a mixed bag, no matter who you are. So how will you use it?
I just try to live every day as if I’ve deliberately come back to this one day to enjoy it as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life. - Tim, About Time
For most of our lives, we do the same four things: sleep, work, eat, relax, and often, we squander time doing unimportant things. I’ve always loved media that connects to time use in one’s life, especially knowing that our lives are so short. How can I better use the time that I have? How can I best contribute? What is it that we’re seeking to do?
Often, it seems that there is no answer to these questions. Is there a right way to live life? Is it all subjective? Is there a wrong way to use your time? How can I walk away from this life knowing I gave it my all and made the most of it? Or is there no need to worry about that at all? Maybe Tim has some insights.
One of my favorite films is About Time, which tells a story of a young man, Tim, who learns he has the power to travel back in time. He uses this newfound power to get the girl of his dreams to fall in love with him, help friends along the way, and see his father for a few last flashbacks after his father’s passing. The film shines a light on what we find essential in life; in this case, he found love, helping others, and family as the most important. Rather than create a film of a young man who used his time-traveling ability to acquire wealth and leisure, it talks about a man who wanted a simple life surrounded by people he loved and loved him. His father, who had the same ability, used it to read more literature and learn about the world.
Here are a few of my favorite moments and insights in the film:
FIGURING OUT WHAT’S IMPORTANT
When Tim’s father first shares about the ability, he explains that it’s best used when you have a direction.
“You have to use it for things you really think will make your life the way you want it to become, really think about this,” his dad explained while pacing around.
It’s incredible because this is no different from anyone else’s life. Even with the ability, he needs to find things that will make his life the way he wants it. For Tim, he first uses the ability to go back in time and confidently kiss a girl he’s with on New Year’s Eve.
BEING OK WITH HOW THINGS ARE
After his rainy wedding day, Tim asks his wife if she wished for another day. Part of him thought he could make the day more perfect if he changed it in the past. Her response: No. And this is how it should be!
We should be ok with how things are even if they aren’t perfect.
“Do you wish we’d picked another less wet day?” Tim asked while getting into bed at the end of a soggy day.
“No,” his new wife replied. “Not for the world.”
“Phew.”
“And so it begins. Lots and lots of types of days,” she said ecstatically. “Fun!”
That’s a beautiful way to live life. Lots of types of days.
WE’RE ONLY HUMAN
After hearing that his sister ended up in a car crash, Tim tries to go back and fix the situation. The catch is that each time he goes back to the present, which was after the birth of his first son, he would go back to another child that he was unfamiliar with. His father explains that he can’t go back in time to moments before his child’s birth; otherwise, he’ll find himself with a new son or daughter. Tim is perplexed and distraught; he thought he had the power to change the past, but as his father explains, life is a mixed bag with the power or not. After all, we’re only human.
“So every day up ‘till yesterday is as it will always be?” Tim nervously asked. “Lost?”
“Just like for everyone else,” his father replied.
“Ok interesting,” Tim paused. “I think I just thought with the time thing …”
“No, I never said we could fix things. I specifically never said that,” his dad cautioned. “Life’s a mixed bag, no matter who you are.”
LIVING EVERY MOMENT OUT
Tim’s father shared a way to maximize the power. “And so he told me his secret formula for happiness,” Tim clarified. “Part one of the two-part plan was that I should just get on with ordinary life, living it day by day, like anyone else. … The first time with all the tensions and worries that stop us noticing how sweet the world can be, but the second time noticing.” We should live every day like part two. We should notice how sweet the world can be without focusing too much on the worries.
WE DON’T NEED A TIME-TRAVELING POWER TO LIVE A HAPPY LIFE
“I think I’ve learned the final lesson from my travels in time. and I’ve even gone one step further than my father did. … The truth is, I now don’t travel back at all. Not even for the day. I just try to live every day as if I’ve deliberately come back to this one day to enjoy it as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.”
I’m still working on identifying what’s important to me, but overall, I’ll live every single day fully and gratefully.
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Read more of ascend | a college reflection! ascend is a personal college reflection magazine with short essays, funny stories, life thoughts, important questions, media I love, and more! ascend | a college reflection came out on May 12, 2023, to celebrate graduation and kickstart gap year 3.0.
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