The Trekkie within me

Huntsville Al
The Rocket City

Space. We are there. NASA is exploring where no man has gone before.

Time travel? Could it be the Final frontier?

Darth & I

  It’s true, I am not only a Star Wars geek, but I have Star Trek tendencies as well. Live long and prosper!

My husband thinks one ‘star’ movie is just like the other ‘star’ movie and this we agree to disagree without penalty of divorce.

Essentially, I am a fan of all things STAR, from Star Wars, past, present, and now the future! Add the new J.J. Abrams movie series  Star Trek to the old William Shatner campy Sci-fi TV series and The Next Generation with Picard and I am a Trekkie, past, present, and future.

Luke (named after Skywalker) Conner & Cade
at our local Star Wars exhibit at NASA's Space & Rocket Center

Displayed Yoda

Can you imagine how charged up I am that both my worlds are about to collide, but in a good way. Mr. Abrams who has enthusiastically revived my Trekkie-ness by recreating the new Star Trek into a new, sleek theatrical explosion of balanced plot, fun, and all things Trek, has recently agreed to take on the Jedi kingdom as well.

May the force be with him!

As I watched this weekend, like millions of would be fresh Trekkies and old dusty ones, with my bucket of popcorn and two twelve year old Treks-in-training, I was thrilled with the outcome of the second Star Trek – Abrams adventure.

A good Star Trek movie will always lead you into thoughtful contemplation.

Where does that lend my thought pattern? 

In many directions as usual, but one I settled  on is the insertion of time travel where an old self can give wise advice to a new, young self.

Explanation? In Abram’s Star Trek, old Spock speaks to young Spock, since there was an alternate timeline created by Romulans who were angry with Spock and something to do with black holes, exploding planets and revenge. You know, typical sci-fi stuff!

Wouldn't it be nice if your future self could visit and advise you of some key points of your life?

What would I now, go back and tell my 15 year old self? 

Would it be morally wrong to change the course I have already been on?

I mean, I have at least made it to half a century on the road I traveled previously with only a minor scar and scrape.

But let’s say I did visit Young Tracy? 

Young ME!

The first thing I would say is, “Stop drinking sodas! Cut down on the cheeseburgers and pizza! And, for goodness sake, use sunscreen! I don’t want cancer nor wrinkles!”

I would refrain from one more honest admission, “Sadly, this is the best your body gets and it’s all downhill from here!” Some future events are best kept quiet.

Financially, I would encourage saving, no credit card charging, and begin a retirement plan NOW. After I tell myself to get a great education and learn to be an Actuary, J(best job of 2013) and not put off writing that bestseller.

I would tell ‘1975 me’ to invest in Microsoft, Google, and look up a kid from Harvard, Zuckerberg in a few years.

After I took care of that, I would then turn to the important things of life, such as love. I would encourage myself to make sure I follow my heart.

Now, advice about kids, I might rethink bringing them into the world. It’s a tough road.

However, if I could at least tweak my parenting skills maybe I could prevent future troubles.

I would like Moses have some printed instructions ready for preventive parental commandments.  Such as, “Give your child more hugs and cuddles because they grow out of wanting them very soon.”

Chew them out less. Spend more time on the small things they do, in other words pay more attention to them and less on TV. Expose them to more discipline with reward and less exposure to the influence of bad friends. Always teach responsibility. 

Tell them that waiting for things is not bad, instant gratification is a temporary high that fades fast.

I would tell my young self that family needs to be a higher priority. Spend even more time with the ones you love and that parents don’t last a lifetime. Ask more questions about their lives, their ancestral tree and experiences in their life.

So, what would young self want to know?

It is a two-way street. Thinking back to that young, naive self and knowing what was important to that person at that particular time of her life, she would ask me about living happily ever after. I read all those Harlequin Romances and always wanted to be that girl who got that guy!

Now, that is a tricky answer, knowing the future.

I would have to choose between truth and vague encouragement. At 34, my timeline would see a young woman, left widowed, with two young kids and that is something best not left to disclosure.

I would have to encourage myself that life is truly a gift, live it fully, and love with all my heart, counting every blessing and know that trials will come and that I will go through them, with faith, endurance and yes, even joy.

I will be able to tell young me that at 50, I am truly blessed and contented with my life even with all the blemishes and scars.

The truth is, no one needs to know the future, especially if we have the power to change it. One alteration of steps could lead to a life lived much differently. Trials grow character and quality is refined through fire.

If I had such knowledge of how my life would turn out, what gain would I have?

Plus, who wants to see themselves older, thicker, saggy-er? That would send young me into deep depression and eventually into a plastic surgeon’s office for an extreme make-it-not-age-over!

On second thought I will not be breaking any universal time travel rules. Good thing I won’t be coming back to tweak a few things of my life because I might mess it up for old me now!

But, if I had to whisper anything to myself in my younger years, it would be two things: one, to enjoy every day as if it were my last, loving more and spending more time with those I cherish! The other thing? The winning Powerball numbers from Saturday’s epic 590 million lottery ticket of course!

Live long, yes….and PROSPER!

Tracy Williams is a syndicated columnist and can be reached at myhometowncolumn@gmail.com or visit her blog: tracyshometownusa.blogspot.com orwww.facebook.com/tracyshometownusa