Butterfly Effect

I’m saddened to say this, but an Ashton Kutcher movie changed my life.

Did I get your attention? Are you vomiting in your mouth a little?

Well, let me explain before you decide to never again visit this blog.

In 2004, The Butterfly Effect, was released in theaters and a few months later I actually got sucked into watching it on HBO. The movie itself was actually not bad (the casting of Amy Smart really helped), but it was the premise of the Butterfly Effect that really caught my attention (this theory/premise is in many movies, but this one has it in the title, so…).
For us laymen, the Butterfly Effect basically implies that even the smallest thing can change everything; that the flapping of a butterfly’s wing can change the atmospheric pressure, which can change the weather, which can cause a monsoon, which can destroy a home…

While the butterfly analogy goes a little far for my tastes, I think it puts real perspective on who each of us is and why. Over the last year I’ve spent a good deal of time evaluating who I am and the life I’ve ‘chosen’. I’ve spent a lot of time wondering ‘what if’. The interesting thing is that I’m noticing the questions stem, not from the big decisions, but the little ones. In fact I’ve noticed that in large part my life has been determined by actions, events and ultimately circumstances out of my control.
Some people say they live life with no regrets; that everything they’ve done – for better or worse – has led them to who they are. While this sentiment is certainly true, and I like who I am, there are absolutely things I would change; words I would take back, actions I would undo, and moves I would make… As I wrote in an earlier post, maybe it’s for the best that we can’t go back and change things, but it sure is interesting to think about.