Pay it backward!

Lately I've been longing for a time machine, not so that I can kill Hitler or repair my past mistakes but because I'd like to contribute to the equitable distribution of good news over time.

For years at my college we've been wading through one pile of bad news after another, but now that we're experiencing a surfeit of good news, I'd like to spread some of it back in time to cheer up my past self. For instance, when the provost tells us that the college now has money to send our whole department to a conference, I want to grab a pile of that cash and take it back to 2003 and tell myself, "You know those conferences costs the college can't afford to cover? Maybe this will help."

Or I could travel three or four years back when some bad health insurance news felt like a kick in the gut, and I'd like to tell myself, "Just hold on for a few years and all this pain and anguish will dissipate in the wake of a more humane solution."

Or I'd visit a Faculty Council meeting during the bad old days when every week we had to deal with further evidence of administrative incompetence and I would tell myself, "Courage! It won't always be like this. One of these days you'll work under a team of highly competent administrators who make you happy to work here."

Don't get me wrong: I'm not complaining about all the good college news; in fact, I'm ready to embrace the next wave as soon as it arrives. I just wish I could take it back in time to lighten the load we were all carrying during the dark times. With a time machine, I could spread the joy. Just let me pay it backward!