The Alternate Side

I just finished watching the movie, "The Family Man", on ABC Family. It stars one of my favorite actors, Nicholas Cage, whom is a wealthy, but bitter business man. He is met up with a street thug, played by Don Cheadle, who shows Jack (Nicholas Cage) what his life would be like if he never took the job and settled down with his college girlfriend, Kate. As Jack struggles to figure out why he is living in his alternate life, he is also discovering the love he had for his girlfriend, Kate-whom in his alternate life is now married to-never went away. In his new life, Jack works for his father-in-law, as a tire salesman. Eventually, Jack gets the opportunity to re-establish his position at the job he once had, but later turns it down because he finally realizes what's more important. Jack then wakes up in his original wealthy life. He goes to visit Kate, whom is now a successful law firm agent, but soon discovers that she is moving to Paris. Jack is determined to get her into his life forever. Now for those who haven't seen it, I can't spoil the ending for you. You'll just have to watch the movie for yourself.

The reason that I brought that up was because I've always wondered what it would be like if my life was different. If I was brought to an alternate life of myself, how would it be? Would I have the same friends? Would I have gotten the love of my life? Would I be the person that I am today? I don't know. I do know that every thing does happen for a reason. Whatever thing we do, good or bad, we are destined to do what is right. But the movie showed that a person can really miss out on something good because of money and total success. Just take the life of any celebrity and imagine if they weren't rich and famous. Imagine that they were just as human as you and me. I've always had a dream of becoming something big. I've always fantasized about a life where I am either a big time musician or a famous celebrity in Hollywood. I know those are such surrealist fantasies, but I wonder how my life would be different if that happened. I can also turn this around. What if I never existed? If you've ever seen the Fresh Prince episode where Carlton does not exist, it shows how his families' lives would be different without him. If I didn't exist, how would others lives be different? It's like the old saying goes, "It takes one life to impact another's". Even though we think we have not changed someones life, we have. It's like watching a commercial. Even though we think we don't want the product, it is in the back of our minds always sitting there. So if the opportunity comes knocking at your door that can possibly change your life forever, listen to your heart not your head. If you just do something without thinking of the possible consequences, you could be missing out on the greatest opportunity of your life. Then you'll always be asking yourself, "What if?"