While listening to the Smartless podcast recently, Sean asked actress Julia Roberts a question I don’t think I’ve heard before: If you could relive one year of your life–not to change anything, but just to see the world through your eyes for that year again–which year would you choose?
I have two answers:
2001-2002: This is the year that I studied abroad in Japan. It was a really formative and memorable year for me, and not just because I was mostly speaking a different language in a foreign country. One of the best parts of the year were the friendships, particularly with 5 fellow American students the first semester and some Japanese friends in the second semester (those American friends were only there for the first semester). I was a pretty lonely kid at school for almost every year up to that point, so it meant the world to me to find people who accepted me for who I am.
2014: This is a year when both Biddy (my cat) and my dad were alive and healthy. If that isn’t a reason enough, it’s also the first year I took the risk of going full time at Stonemaier Games, starting with a Kickstarter for Tuscany that went incredibly well. If you’ve ever bet on yourself in a big way and it paid off, you know how this feels, especially if the gamble was on something you’re really passionate about.
I’d love to hear your answer. What year in your life would you relive if you had the chance to watch everything unfold from your eyes?
I have a few good memories, but not nearly enough to want to relive a whole year for any of them. I would possibly relive a year in a couple of spots if I could retain my current experiences/memories and avoid making a big mistake.
That’s an interesting point that even great years have ups and downs.
This is a really good question that I had to think a lot about…
I will say maybe 88-89 before I moved to a new country or 2000-2001 when I started my first real job. But the more I think about it neither of those I’d want to re-live the whole year, maybe bits of it. This question also made me self reflect that with all the shit that’s going on in the world, I’m pretty happy where I am right now personally and I wouldn’t want to relive any full year of my past.
I like that you’re enjoying the present! That’s a good reminder for me to do the same. 🙂
My second year at university, for sure. My student years are still the best years of my life: the combination of new found freedom, the carelessness of a life without a job, a family, and hard obligations, and the many new friends I made. My first year was still a bit uncertain, but by my second year, everything was just rolling so smooth and I had the time of my life.
That would be 1998 or 1999, by the way.
That’s wonderful! I’m glad you had some blossoming early years at university.