Beyond the Book: Which One is best?

 If you could only have one, which one would you choose and why. Your soulmate, 100 million dollars, or a time machine.

Let’s talk money first. My husband and I have always lived below our means. Our needs are simply. We don’t care what kind of car we drive, we like our house, but it isn’t a showplace by any means. We don’t wear designer clothes, and we’re fine with that. I do love jewelry, but we never spent more than we could afford on it. Travel doesn’t suit either of us so we happily potter about at home or have fun with friends. At our age I sincerely doubt that we’d seriously change our ways. But there’s a lot of things you could do with that much money.

I have several charities that I support, and it makes me happy to think that I could do more for them. Some of the charities are for animal rescue and legislation, and many are for disadvantaged people. There’s so much that needs doing that sometimes it feels overwhelming, but with that much money you could do a lot of good. I could also leave my children the gift of financial freedom. My younger son had an accident in 2020, which has resulted in him being disabled. Nothing can fix him, and it would be nice to think that once his dad and I were gone his family would not have to worry about paying the bills. 

Okay, about that time machine. It would be wonderful to revisit some of the high points of my life. I’d love to spend a Christmas with my family again. I’m the last one left, which makes me feel lonely if I stop to think about it. I don’t have any interest in visiting the future. If I could I wouldn’t want to know what’s going to happen, but if I visited the past I think it might break my heart. If I saw my husband and myself when we were young and first married it would hurt my heart to think about that special time in our lives. So, I’m not sure I’d pick this option. 

That leaves the soulmate. Do I really think soulmates exist, or is it some romantic fantasy? After some thought I decided that I do believe in soulmates. The term has a romantic connotation so I’ll discuss it from that point of view. Can you be happy with someone who isn’t your soulmate? Probably. Would you be happier if you did find your perfect love? Probably. My cousin, a beautiful, talented artist, died of brain cancer many years ago. Her husband remarried, but I don’t think it was the same for him. The first time I laid eyes on my husband I knew that my future was with him, not the guy I was engaged to. We’ve had a good life together. Occasionally I wonder what would have happened if I had married the other guy. I don’t like to even think about it. I think true love and compassion for each other makes life happy and worthwhile. You could stand a lot that life throws at you if you know someone’s got your back.