Do-Over

The older I get, the more I reminisce about my childhood. I'm glad I'm not in the thick of puberty, however, there are certain behaviors readily accepted by children and teenagers that aren't in adulthood. Sometimes, when I reminisce, I wonder what adult life would be like if we could in fact, carry over some of our childhood behaviors. In particular, what would life be like if we could bring back the do-over? The do-over is like magic. It’s concept has the power to prevent job termination at work, avoid the loss of scholarship money at college, and maintain a civil relationship with your mother-in-law in your marriage. Bringing back the do-over, with all its grandeur, would certainly benefit our lives on a daily basis.

On the job: While you are handing the postman (or woman) the outgoing mail, you accidentally drop one letter addressed to the IRS from your boss onto your messy workstation. It isn't until two weeks later, during your monthly 'clean my desk' chore that you discover the piece of mail. You have limited options here:

1. Throw the damned thing away. You never liked your boss anyway. He deserves to be fined and possibly investigated by the IRS, especially for the last job performance review he gave you...'a neater workstation would facilitate the timely submission of monthly reports.' Who does he think he is?

2. Tell the truth. With the do-over safely stuffed in your back pocket, you can use the 'honesty is the best policy' lesson your mother drilled into your head. Ease into your boss's immaculately clean office and slide the envelope across his desk. When he gives you the angry inquisitive look, you quickly explain how you dropped it. You don't remember doing so but nonetheless, the letter is still here. Not mailed. Two weeks past April 15th. Naturally, veins will pop out of his neck and he’ll curse the day he hired you. As you watch his face turn five shades of purple, slowly pull the do-over card out...Presto: Your second chance to do it over.

During School: It's eight AM Monday morning and your thesis paper is due. You awake to find yourself in the middle of a strange room surrounded by strange people among a clutter of CD’s and empty Budwieser cans all over the place. As your sleep deprived, alcohol abused body stumbles into the bathroom, you suddenly realize you should have spent the past weekend typing instead of drinking. Options:

1. Screw class. Forget about your paper and go back to sleep. So what if failing this English class means the end to all of your scholarship money. All you ever really wanted to do was start a band. Now you will be free to pursue your musical career. .

2. Turn your paper in late. Saunter into your classroom (15 minutes late if you want…) and slap that puppy onto your professor’s desk. He’ll want to give you an ‘F”, but with the do-over card attached to the front cover, he’ll have to grade your paper as if it were turned in on time.

In Marriage: You’ve just bought a round of drinks for you and the guys when you discover its 10:30PM. Not only did you lose track of time, but also you were supposed to stop by the grocery store to pick up some things for tonight’s dinner. OMG! Your in-laws were supposed to be there. Oh great!

1. March right into your house and tell your mother-in-law what you really think of her. So what if she is the grandmother to your children. She may be grandmother to your children and executor of your father-in-law’s estate, however, under the influence of too much tequila, blowing your children’s inheritance isn’t at the top of your priority list.

2. Meekly walk in and sheepishly hand over the do-over card to your mother-in-law. She will be furious, but the card prevents her from taking action. Unfortunately for you, your wife will still be angry. It’s bad enough to miss dinner, but having it announced to her parents further compounds her fury. You have monumentally screwed-up. You are going to have to do some time in the doghouse. However, the card shaves several days off your stay.

Saving our jobs, marriages, and even scholarship money are only a few ways in which the do-over card would help us in our adult lives. Saving friendships, relationships, and avoiding traffic tickets are other ways. Because reaching adulthood doesn’t mean the end of making mistakes, I say we reinstate the do-over.