There is a Brad Paisley song that has been on my mind lately. The song is "Letter to Me." If you aren’t familiar with the song, give it a listen. It is a fairly decent song about if the author could write a letter to a younger him and deliver it to the 17-year-old. The song works because it is an interesting idea. It gives the listener the chance to maybe reminisce, and we always love to ask ourselves the question of what if? I love this song because it is always nice to reflect and maybe even wonder what would have happened if you hadn’t done one thing over the other. However, there is one question that lingers in my mind. This one is a stretch, so bear with me.
The only thing about this that I dislike is that the song is advising the younger person that he needs to relax, and maybe even tell him to avoid certain problems that his future self has already encountered. However, I am a firm believer that whatever happens to us made us who we are. Even changing the smallest details about our past could, in fact, change the future in a huge way. Meaning that the kids and wife the song refers to might not be the same. For that matter, the person themselves would be different too. Even an argument with their father could change their lives dramatically.
Don’t get me wrong, that last paragraph was kind of a literal take of the song. I love the music all the same. I suppose the point I’m trying to make is that regrets can hold us back. In this song, seeing as how it is impossible for the letter to actually happen, this would most likely come about when you and some friends are remembering times in your lives. More importantly, this type of reflection can help you show gratitude for what you have in your life and what you’ve done. It never hurts to step back and evaluate where you came from, but don’t dwell on the past too much. You’re likely to go insane.
