LIFE AS I KNOW IT
Harriet Minter treads awell-worn path from aprevious life, and rediscovers aspring in her step
“Recently, I found myself back at the Tube station that had been my ‘home’ station when I first lived in London in my 20s. Although I’d obviously known where I was going, when I stepped off the train and onto the platform a strange thing happened. For a moment, I felt time collapse, and my feet automatically picked up the route they’d followed every day for seven years. In that instant, I couldn’t have told you whether I was 24 or 42. The girl from the past and the woman here now were one and the same. I felt her enthusiasm and sense of self-belief, her energy and fears flowing through me, recognising them as real and as a memory at the same time.
When I came out of the exit from the Tube, my body made to go left – to follow the path home – until my mind corrected it, turned me right, and sent me off into the day. But it made me wonder about what it’s like to go back. If you listen to the lifestyle gurus of the day, they ll tell you how important it is to be future-focused. Setting big goals and creating forward momentum is what’s needed if you want to create a happy life.
When I stood at that Tube station, however, I saw the advantage in looking back. I asked myself if my 24-year-old self would be proud of me today. I think she might wonder where the big h
