“When you were 16, what did you think your life would look like? Does it look like that? Is that a good thing?”

When I was 16 I didn’t really have any clue what I would be doing for the rest of my life. I wasn’t really thinking about the future at that point. There were more important things, like school and sleeping. Honestly, sleeping. When I was a teenager I found myself really craving a lot of extra sleep, so much so I would pass out after school, wake up for dinner, and pad back to sleep. It wasn’t until years later did we find out that for a lot of kids in that age range, that they really don’t get a lot of the sleep they really need. I was a little science experiment right there.

I knew on some level that what I wanted had more to do with computers as I was running an old-style BBS and was exploring social media even before social media was a term that was coined. The technology back then, when I was 16 wasn’t really all that great – at least not compared to now. Now there are so much better things available to everyone, a lot less bulky and work without surprise failures.

So I guess what I had in mind, what little mind I had, did come true. Was it a kind of self-fulfilling prophesy or was I destined to end up where I am now? These are things that I’ve thought about on and off again for a while. I’ve written before about how I wouldn’t change anything about my past because that would make my current life a lie. I don’t really think time travel will ever be possible, and I’m thankful for it. To go back in time and change something would cheat you out of learning those things that you needed to learn. If you travelled back in time, I bet anything your life would fall apart.

Wether or not it is a good thing is only partially part of the deal. It is what it is. The biggest thing I think that anyone can do really is to make the best of what they have. If it’s not much, do your best and be happy with that. It’s just another cheat to set some artificial conditions on your happiness because how many people actually get there? It’s far better for you to establish that you are happy now. Instead of pursuing happiness, declare that you have it. It makes chasing it far easier.