Have you ever thought of having the ability to turn back time? This is a short story of just that.

We turn the clocks back by one hour in the Fall and move the clock ahead one hour in the Spring. What if we could do that in life? But not just an hour, but maybe a decade, or a few years. When we get older it seems life gets shorter. Remember when you were a kid and the day never seemed to end? I do, and now that I am in my 40's. The days, weeks and months go by so fast. My parents always said to me the older you get the faster life passes you by. This is so true. However, when life is going the way you planned, then time has no meaning. But what happens when things don't go your way? I mean when hard times come along testing our will power. Hard times can come in the form of job loss, financial hardship, relationship problems, health issues and the problems you face when raising children. Regardless of what hardship you are experiencing, did you ever wish you could turn back time?

I'm in my forties now and am experiencing some difficult times. Often I think of when I was in my thirties and twenties. Sure there were tough times as my husband and I were raising our children, working and I also going to college. Yet, for some reason I find being in your forties more difficult. Now there are health issues to contend with. The children are grown with children of their own. Aren't we supposed to being living the good life? That is exactly what we both thought. However, these past two years have been hard. I lost my job in June 2012. Our house was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy October 29, 2012. My unemployment ran out October 15, 2013. Not to mention we both feel tired and worn out. Lack of energy and money prevent us from living the good life. Isn't this the time when we should be vacationing and watching the sun rise and set?

Sometimes I wish I could turn back time. Thirty-five was a good year for me. In my twenties I had lots of energy. Now with arthritis and other ailments I find my energy level is gone. Just trying to watch the ball drop on New Years Eve was a difficult thing to do. Now I go to bed 10 pm, 11 pm the latest and still wake up too early for someone who has no job to go to. No young children to get ready for school. But would I really turn back the clock and re-live all those years again?

I remember when I was in my twenties I would think, I can't wait for my children to grow up. Then in my thirties when they were teenagers I would say I can't wait for them to move out. When it was now time for me I decided to go to college and get an Associates and Bachelors degree. The timing was right. Now here I am with two degrees and no job. Believe me I tried. It's hard for someone who worked over twenty years and went to college for four years to get up in the morning with no purpose. Lucky for me I have a loving husband. There are days when I feel drained emotionally and physically and I don't do anything. Oh, I'm not lazy. I'm just bored. It also doesn't help if you don't feel good physically. I keep busy writing, cleaning, food shopping, watching and visiting with my grandchildren. Then at night my husband and I settle down to watch a good movie. So what's wrong with that, you ask?

I guess it just seems like something is missing. The job, the school work, the busy time of life. Sure many of you say you would like to stay home. However, when money is tight,, there isn't much going out and shopping or spending you can do. I find at times my brain is foggy. Probably because I am not at work or in college using it. Sure I write my articles and stories. Yes I do word search puzzles and read Stephen King novels, but I'm not doing what I used to do. To make matters worse if I don't feel well,, then I don't do as much. I'm 47 and some days I feel 67. That's not good. Would I turn back the clock and go back to the days of being too busy to read that book, or watch a good movie? I really don't know. Maybe I would. I say this because when I was younger I felt good, had energy and thrived on the rush of not having enough hours to do things for myself. Now I find myself with too many hours in a day. I will look at the clock and say "Oh God, it's only 3:00 pm. I've been up since 7:30 am. There is too much time on my hands. I continue to look for work but with the economy the way it is, well I'm still unemployed, need I say more. But would I really want to re-live raising my children, those college years of studying and those stressful teenage years? Would I really want to re-live those days when I collapsed in bed at night from exhaustion? Truthfully, I'm not sure what my answer would be. There is survey at the end of this story. I encourage you to vote and welcome your comments.