"-get out of jail free- card"
November 28, 2001, 10:06 p.m.

The IF...Project

November Topic: If you were given one cosmic 'get out of jail free' card that would allow you to undo one act from your past, which would you use it on? What outcome would you hope to result from that decision?

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Woo-hoo! A 'get out of jail free' card! But where would I use it?

I have made a multitude of mistakes in my life.

Yet, I have learned so much about life from each mistake I've made along the way that I wouldn't want to sacrifice any of those lessons I've learned by going back and doing any one of them over the "right" way.

I've worked hard for the knowledge those lessons have provided me and I would not have earned them if I had not made the mistakes in the first place.

So when it comes to my life and any of my actions, I simply wouldn't want to cash in on the "Get Out of Jail Free" Card.

However, I would hand the card over in a heartbeat, to my nephew Temajin - whose life was cut short when he was killed in a collision in 1995. Tem died too soon. He would be 28 years old this month if he had lived. It was a waste of a good life - when Tem's life was taken. I was proud of Tem. Proud that he had so much talent. Proud that his heart was so big. Proud that someone so young could reach into and touch the souls of so many different people. Yet, Tem was no angel. He had his share of troubles and suffered in his angst like everybody does. Still, the possibility of what Temajin could actually have become in his life is no longer a possibility.

If I had the opportunity to give my 'get out of jail free' card to Temajin so that he could have changed the course of events on the day of his death and survived the accident or avoided it altogether, I would do so. Being alive, Tem would have changed the lives of many people. His baby daughter would grow up knowing her daddy and knowing how much her Daddy loved her. His wife and family and friends would continue to experience the joy that Tem was. The world would get to know who Tem was through his music. He was so very talented on the guitar, as he seemed to be another Satriani.

Tem was destined for greatness. Everyone around him knew that he would be great. It was a shock for all of us when he was killed.

I would give Tem another chance and let him use my 'get out of jail free' card to make a great life for himself.