IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME

Hello There. Don’t Freak Out.

I’m you, 43 years later. Yeah, I look old. Get used to it.

Barbara Andres
6 min readJan 28, 2023

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Image created by author using Fotor AI

Oh, if we only could re-live the turning points and turn the other way. Where might we be today? Happier? Richer? Child-free? Doting grandparents to seven grandkids? Where might we be now?

I have no complaints and no regrets. I love my life. I’m happily married and financially comfortable. Three dogs warm my heart. I have my degree and am working on grad school. My job is rewarding and pays well. I have my health. The path I took, the forks I chose, led me to this, and I am profoundly grateful for all of it.

Still, sometimes it’s fun to consider what might have been.

In fact, I make a mental journey from time to time into alternate universes that could exist right now if I weren’t where or who I am and if I didn’t have ties here. I think of a time, which could be right now under different circumstances, when I no longer need to work and can live anywhere I want, travel anywhere I want, for as long as I want.

I even know where I’d move to if that time was right now, and I look at houses there for fun. Three bedrooms. At least two baths, so party guests have a powder room and overnight guests don’t have to share with me. A big…

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Barbara Andres

Muddling through, one story at a time. Grab a cup of tea, pull up a chair, and let’s get curious together.