It took me a while to accept the reality that I had somehow been reincarnated. Initially, I thought it might be a hallucination, but the level of detail convinced me otherwise. I am now officially Lance West, a two-year-old. Where do I even begin? I won't go into the details of my religious beliefs from my previous life, as they are irrelevant. Suffice to say, reincarnation was not a part of it. And that's just the beginning - somehow, I ended up being born in 1978. So, I am dealing with both reincarnation and time travel. At this point, I've given up trying to find an explanation for this phenomenon and have accepted my current reality.
I remembered my previous life a few weeks ago, and I am grateful for that. Thank God or whatever higher power exists for small mercies. If I had to go through the humiliation of the baby phase, I probably would have at least considered suicide. As a toddler, I have a tiny bit of dignity left. It took me some time to adjust and understand what was happening around me.
I now live in London with my new parents, Erik West and Abigail West. My grandmother, Susan, also lives with us. I am thankful that I was born into an English household, as I can understand the language and read. I figured out the current timeline by looking at the date in the Daily Mirror. The initial confusion was surely as terrifying for my parents as it was for me. From their perspective, I suddenly stopped talking and went from a normal toddler to a quiet child. And, might I add, a well-behaved and potty-trained quiet child.
Honestly, I struggled at the beginning. How does one even act like a two-year-old? I had no idea. After the initial shock wore off, I did my best to appear like a healthy, normal child. But it was impossible to truly become a two-year-old. I have no interest in things that a typical child would enjoy. The toys I probably loved just a few weeks ago now hold no appeal. The only child-like thing I do is break the rules and explore. Trust me, reincarnation is not as glamorous as it may seem. So far, I have experienced overwhelming boredom. I am unable to go outside and explore, and our back garden doesn't offer much entertainment.
I am currently an only child. My dad is alright and tries to spend as much time with me as possible. However, he is often busy with work and other obligations. On the other hand, my mom would prefer to have me glued to her at all times. My grandmother can tolerate me in small doses. She is a creature of habit and likes things to be a certain way. From this, I assume I wasn't as well-behaved pre-reincarnation. Overall, it's a perfect little family.
Honestly, aside from the whole "being two" situation, I have enjoyed this experience. I often heard about or watched videos of people who would disconnect from technology and experience the joys of family life and real interactions. From my current perspective, my previous life, or at least the last decade or so, seems dull and lifeless. I had invested so much time into work and seemingly meaningless things that now feel insignificant. I genuinely love my new family, although it doesn't diminish my sense of loss and longing for my previous friends and family. Perhaps it's just a biological instinct, an innate sense of love and attachment that all children have for their parents. But I truly love my new family.
Trying to pretend that nothing has changed is a futile exercise. After multiple visits to various doctors, Mom is finally convinced that I will not drop dead tomorrow. My parents would just have to accept this random episode as a one-off. Trying to do anything to comfort or reassure them would exacerbate the problem. All I can do is try to act adorable and enjoy myself. My Lego set has been used excessively. Sue me, it's the only remotely interesting toy I have. My keen interest in creative pursuits has not gone unnoticed, and as a result, I have received block puzzles and picture books.
Today, I have decided to plan what I am going to do moving forward. Fixating on my previous life would be idiotic. I will treat this life as a do-over and try to do everything I can so that I don't have any regrets or what-ifs this time around. This does not mean starting to exercise as a child. It simply means that I will try to live a meaningful life. I will spend time with my parents, enjoy every moment I have, and be productive. Just my regular set of activities is already enough exercise for my small frame, I reckon. Regular playdates at the local park, plus all the running around I do in the backyard, leave me exhausted by the end of the day.
On the educational front, trying to act normal would be a waste. Instead, I will act like a genius and try to blaze through school at an accelerated pace. In the short term, that means learning how to read and upgrading from small sentences to proper speech at a believable pace. Honestly, half the reason I've adopted the quiet persona is due to the fear of accidentally talking normally in front of someone. While we may be far from the medieval ages, there are still a lot of crazy people out there willing to believe in demonic possession. In fact, who am I to deny the existence of demons, being a reincarnated time traveler? God, that's a mouthful.
