Mac Travels Back

Hey you! I’m Mac. Modern kid in the modern age. Computers, Tablets, Self-Driving cars and even Self-Heating Coffee Mugs for warm Hot Chocolate at all times. This one’s the best time and I’m pretty lucky for this time to be my home.

But sometimes… I time travel. But it’s not time travel like you think! I time travel, but while I’m still here - like in today time. It can be fun like when I’m a Pirate sailing the seven seas, sometimes I’m a space kid blasting to an uncharted planet, or when I’m a rockstar from before my parents were born (that one’s my favorite) … but… sometimes it’s not so fun. Sometimes I’m a cave kid looking for scary things that can harm me. I don’t like that one very much.

My Mom and Dad tell me that every kid has at least one thing they’re going through and this one, my time traveling, well this one’s mine. Most of the time it’s great! Like, really awesome even! But my family and therapist are helping me not go to the dinosaur time as much. It’s… pretty tiring.

If you’re reading this story, my guess… you’re a time traveler too (or maybe you know a time traveler). There’s quite a few of us around here it seems. But sometimes we only time travel at home, or only at school, sometimes both and sometimes even when we’re doing something super-stressful. The stressful places always time travel me back to the dinosaur time - which again, not the biggest fan you know?

That’s when I have to fight. There’s a lot of dinosaurs out there. I can’t tell if they’re friendly or not, but better safe than sorry I say. I mean, they’re dinosaurs! Of course they’re dangerous right?

My parents say when I time travel to be a cave kid, I’m using the greatest tool of their time - the “Fight or Flight Response” - I dunno about you, but I don’t fly - so that’s a bit confusing. But running and fighting, I can do that. The problem with that is when I time travel back to my original Mac time, sometimes there’s leftover damage. Sometimes people are sad, sometimes I’m sad… and most of all. I’m sleepy. Super-sleepy. It’s pretty tough.

The problem with becoming a cave kid is that it comes out of nowhere. When I’m a rockstar, I can go back to my home time and eat a sandwich and go back to the 1970’s in 10 minutes. But the cave kid… that one comes usually when I’m startled suddenly, when I’m having to face a fear or when I get put on the spot.

Because of this, I tend to be ready to be cave kid at any time. Who knows when you’re going to get stressed in advance right? I time travel, but I can’t know everything. So a little cave kid stays in me at all times just in case. Sure, it makes me always a little angry - but you never know when you’re going to fight dinosaurs. The only problem is it makes it tough to try new things, go new places and focus on my homework.

But when those dinosaurs show up, I’m ready. You can tell too… my eyes get shiny, I start panting and I’m ready. Those dinosaurs sometimes try to grab me, but I’m quick and if they catch me - I can fight. I’m making fists, yelling to confuse them and sometimes I’m a bit shaky. But that’s only because my muscles are ready for quick movements. Sometimes I say things I don’t usually say, or even mean - but cave kid is not always a classy kid. Cave kid’s there to fight, not have a tea party.

The worst part of being a cave kid is that it’s hard to come back. My mind goes so, so, so fast. Like, faster than a racecar… faster than a space shuttle… super-fast. It takes a while to calm down even after I’m no longer a cave kid. Not only is it tiring, but my mind races with all the things that stress me out and make me a cave kid in the first place. Sometimes I come back, and poof - back to a cave kid.

So that’s why I’m working with my parents, school, a therapist and sometimes even my doctor to help not be a cave kid so often. It’s tough. When I’m a cave kid; I think like a cave kid and I don’t always make my usual Mac decisions. Sometimes I break things I don’t want to break, sometimes I run and hide, sometimes I fight dinosaurs that seem to not really be attacking me. I just want to be safe you know?

I’ve learned a couple things to help me not become a dino-fighting machine. I can teach them to you, I can even teach them to the dinosaurs so they know not to mess with you. You wanna know the secrets?