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A colleague of mine, Gardner Dozois, posted a thought-provoking question on his Facebook feed: "If a time-traveling much younger version of yourself came to the door, would he or she be disappointed in the older you they found? Why? Or if they WOULDN'T be disappointed, again, why?"
I said that it would really depend on how much younger this younger version of me was. My high school self would probably have been pretty surprised to discover that her older self was an out lesbian. Although maybe less so my senior year of high school, when I was rather religiously reading the Gay Comix I'd bought at the downtown head shop.
Probably more shocking, however, might be to find my older self married and with a kid.
I NEVER imagined myself married.
But, disappointed? I think not. I think my high school self would have DIED OF JOY to find out that I'd become a published science fiction/fantasy author. In fact, I said, "I think my younger self would cheer me up." I don't think my younger self would give any sh*ts that I wasn't currently publishing. I could just see her bouncing around on the porch saying "FOURTEEN? I PUBLISHED FOURTEEN BOOKS??" I'd probably invite her in and say, "Yeah, check out this bookshelf. This is all you. You've been translated into Polish, German, and.... Look!!! JAPANESE." My younger self probably would have been like, "Japanese? Whatever. What the hell is this weird art? Why are her eyes so big? But Polish! Wow! Grandma Morehouse could read this! And Grandpa could read the German ones!"
Then, she'd get to the Tate stuff and be like, "Romance?" and given me the skeptical side-eye, like 'am I really at the right future?' In fact, I'm very sure younger me would pull all the faces about romance. I would just shake my head and say, "Dude. You have NO IDEA how romantic you are. And thank GOD you're performing heteronormativity now or I'd have no memories to draw on."
Then she would have rolled her eyes and said, "'Heteronormativity'? People in the future talk weird."
I'd be like, "You say 'gnarly' on a regular basis. UNIRONICALLY. Do. Not. Judge. Do you want to hear about how you MET Anne McCaffery or not?"
What about you? What would your past self say to you?
I said that it would really depend on how much younger this younger version of me was. My high school self would probably have been pretty surprised to discover that her older self was an out lesbian. Although maybe less so my senior year of high school, when I was rather religiously reading the Gay Comix I'd bought at the downtown head shop.
Probably more shocking, however, might be to find my older self married and with a kid.
I NEVER imagined myself married.
But, disappointed? I think not. I think my high school self would have DIED OF JOY to find out that I'd become a published science fiction/fantasy author. In fact, I said, "I think my younger self would cheer me up." I don't think my younger self would give any sh*ts that I wasn't currently publishing. I could just see her bouncing around on the porch saying "FOURTEEN? I PUBLISHED FOURTEEN BOOKS??" I'd probably invite her in and say, "Yeah, check out this bookshelf. This is all you. You've been translated into Polish, German, and.... Look!!! JAPANESE." My younger self probably would have been like, "Japanese? Whatever. What the hell is this weird art? Why are her eyes so big? But Polish! Wow! Grandma Morehouse could read this! And Grandpa could read the German ones!"
Then, she'd get to the Tate stuff and be like, "Romance?" and given me the skeptical side-eye, like 'am I really at the right future?' In fact, I'm very sure younger me would pull all the faces about romance. I would just shake my head and say, "Dude. You have NO IDEA how romantic you are. And thank GOD you're performing heteronormativity now or I'd have no memories to draw on."
Then she would have rolled her eyes and said, "'Heteronormativity'? People in the future talk weird."
I'd be like, "You say 'gnarly' on a regular basis. UNIRONICALLY. Do. Not. Judge. Do you want to hear about how you MET Anne McCaffery or not?"
What about you? What would your past self say to you?