Eternity, Happily ever after… or not
(What if the life we lived is the one we needed?)
I watched Eternity on a business flight home from IAD last week. Somewhere between takeoff and landing, it stirred questions about love, loss, and whether we ever stop wondering about the lives we didn’t choose. The story follows Joan, a recently deceased soul faced with an impossible decision: spend eternity with her first love, who died young, or with the husband she spent 65 years with.
That premise stayed with me.
Like many couples during COVID, my marriage ended. After our first child was born, my ex and I slowly grew apart as parenting exposed differences we couldn’t reconcile. During that vulnerable period, another woman entered the picture, and the relationship didn’t survive it.
Today, we co‑parent our two children. They also have a half‑brother.
In the years since, I’ve focused on giving my kids as much love and stability as possible, while keeping a fairly diplomatic relationship with their dad. I’ve also turned inward—toward self‑improvement and what I loosely think of as enlightenment. I feel genuinely happier now. More present. Lighter. I let small things go more easily, and I question what I don’t understand instead of carrying it quietly.
Life, interestingly, seems to respond in kind. I’m grateful for the people I meet and the experiences I’m given—some joyful, some uncomfortable. Even moments I wouldn’t have chosen, like navigating last weekend’s post‑graduation family photo shoots alongside people from my past, feel like markers of how much I’ve changed.
Which brings me back to the movie.
In Eternity, Joan chooses the love she always wondered what if about—only to realize that perfection isn’t the point. Being with someone isn’t about an idealized life. It’s about laughter. Conflict. Repair. And growing together over time.
If we could choose our eternity, would we really want to rewrite anything?