Waking up with Someone Else’s Life
Groggy and disoriented, you rise from your bed, eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. Nothing looks familiar—not the walls, not the furniture—nothing. A grave realisation takes hold: you do not know who you are.
As though automatically, your arm reaches for a device on the bedside table. The device feels oddly natural in your hand. Face ID unlocks the phone as you examine its contents. “This must be mine,” you say to yourself.
The first thing you see is a message from ‘Claire’ in capital letters: “TOM YOU PIECE OF SH—.” Woah. The left side of your face tightens in confusion. It dawns on you that Claire must be an ex-girlfriend. The reasoning makes sense to you, as though a part of you deep inside was able to confirm it.
Despite knowing this text should bother you, the only feeling you have is… nothing. The sense of being impervious to something that should create a storm of emotions is liberating. A wry smile plays on your lips.
Your eyes are drawn to the whimpering sound coming from outside your door. As you crack the door open, a small white dog bounds into your arms, furiously wagging its tail. The warmth of such affection envelops you like a fireplace at Christmas time.
Stepping out of the room, a glimpse of your own reflection stops you in your tracks. “Mid-20s?” you wonder. Your self-examination is interrupted by a vibration in your pocket. An email. The subject reads: “The quality of your work has been unsatisfactory.” You pause. Waiting to become bothered by it, yet that feeling doesn’t arrive. Eventually, with a shrug of indifference, you leave your phone at the top of the stairs.
You stroll down the stairs with a lightness that can only be explained by the monumental unburdening of a life you’ve forgotten.
As you reach the living room, the sun’s glow warmly caresses your face, enticing you to explore the beautiful world outside. Walking past letters marked ‘EVICTION,’ you grab your coat and waltz into the street.
When you return, you feel excited about the gift you’ve received. Though not truly yours, you gratefully accept the life that has been bestowed upon you—a healthy, young person in the developed world. You wouldn’t roll the dice again.
The point of this story is that in each moment, you are simply born into yourself, inheriting the life curated by the decisions of a previous ‘you.’ Don’t feel tied to the things you have acquired or lost. In each moment, you can choose what to care about and what to let go of—what to be happy about and what to forget.