Growing up is made of small things

No stock, everything photographed and edited by me.

Yesterday, I was waving at my 11 months old daughter, Emilie, to grab her attention. Today, she is waving back at me with her little hand. It may sound obvious, but each experience, even the smallest one, is definitely making us one step closer to our future self.

I can't help imagining all the various men I could have been, "if". It is not a matter of regrets, I am becoming too old for these, but rather plain curiosity. Could have I been a great sportsman, if I had chosen to join this athletics club? Would have I become a novel writer, if I had held to my pen instead of running after girls? Would I be a lab scientist if I had studied more and partied less? It is funny, how better versions of myself come to mind first. There are also so many negative possibilities, so many sad paths that could have been mine. Would I be in a wheeling chair, if that car hadn't stopped when I crossed that road at 6 years old? Would I be obese if my mum had not said to be ashamed of my weight 20 years ago? Would I be unemployed if my first boss had not given me a chance in the first place? I'm sure you can remember about a detail of your past, that completely changed the person you became, can't you?

One could say that it is useless to think about these hypothesis, since there is no way to find out the actual answers. Still, it helps me measuring how important are all the small things of life, how they add up, how they do matter. I find these questions to be like coffee for the mind, forcing it to be awake and not letting it overlook too many things.