Books/authors ask so many different questions–some are interesting, some are fun. Sometimes I pause in the middle of reading so I can reflect on a question along with the character. I like to highlight it or write down the questions so I can think some more about it later. I thought on Fridays I might share them from time to time.

If you could go back to any time, what age would you return to?

— In Case You Missed It (2020)

Ros is the main character in Lindsey Kelk’s In Case You Missed It (2020), and she is constantly thinking about how good things used to be before she moved away. When this question is posed, Ros answers it quickly saying she would go back to her mid-20s.

I like to make things more complicated than they should be. The question is hard because it leaves open-ended the purpose of going back in time. Am I going back to relive it, or am I going to do things differently? (Also, can I still know what I know now? Also…But what about….hahaha) These nuances of going back in time are important because they can possibly lead to different answers. If I can only relive the past, I might say I have moments I want to relive rather than one particular age because not every day was great. However, the question asks for an age so I’ll force myself to answer with an actual age. I would relive my last year in high school when I was 17-18 years old . My senior year was a blast! This was the year I ditched class for the first time. I didn’t do anything particularly special except hang out with the person who would become my best friend. She had an open period, and I had choir so we just hung out in the computer lab. My parents, who are very strict, surprisingly let me go to prom. It was the first time I went all out and dressed up–I am very much a tshirt and jeans person. I went to the prom with the tall, good looking foreign exchange student. And then there was that stolen day with the boy I crushed on all throughout high school–the one that got away…sigh… I could relive that day over a few times.

Now, if I was able to go back but have the ability to change things, I would return to my undergraduate years. I had a lot of fun but I tended to stick with what I knew best. It wasn’t until I was finishing up my degree that I became more confident in who I was and more involved with activities and programs on campus. I would take chances and be more willing to move outside my comfort zone sooner rather than later.

If you could go back to any time, what age would you return to?