Back To The Future

 The iconic movie “Back To future” is 30 years old.  In one of the sequels it jumped to 2015 and everyone is looking back (pun intended) to see what it got right.  Just to mention a few:  Flat screen TVs with picture-in-picture - multiple channels on display, hand held computers, biometrics (unlock your iPhone with your fingerprint), baseball in Florida, realistic 3D movies and images, wireless video games.     Several of the hindsight reviews mentioned it “got time travel right”.

 Remember in “Back to the Future” that Marty had to be careful, while in the past, not to disturb what would become the future.  Minor changes could wreak havoc.  However, who of us would not like to travel back and just change a few of our past decision.  The old “if I only knew then….” scenario.     

Maybe just some minor tweaks – a different college - a master’s degree.  Why not be carefree a little longer before assuming job, family and responsibilities.  It is easy to dream but remember minor tweaks have consequences.

The same would be true for those of us that are transgender.  Today we live in a time where everything transgender is in the open.   In the past, we attended secret support groups where approval (interview) was required before you could attend.   There were mountain retreats, disclosed to only those “in the know” and convention where we cloistered ourselves only venturing out in groups.   But, wishing that today’s norm existed back then, would have changes us and the future.

We suppressed feeling and action that could have easily changed our future.  The old “be careful what you wish for” comes into play.

Personally, I have made decisions I wish could be taken back, but overall I am very content with the overall outcome and my life as it played out.  Many see me as a Pollyanna, seeing pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones, but I think it is a personality coincidence that I can live with.   So as we think about “Back To The Future” now that we live in 2015, let’s accept our outcomes – flat screen TV and all.