Tomorrow's Newspaper...Today

Doing what we can do.

Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

Early Edition

Imagine getting tomorrow’s newspaper today. For some, imagining getting a physical newspaper may be a stretch; play along.

If you did, you’d know how the stock market would do and who would win the big game. You’d know the weather people were off and to bring an umbrella even though they were predicting sunny skies.

Along with those fun things, you’d know who died in a horrific fire or car crash.

What would you do with such knowledge?

Meet Gary.

Gary was a down-and-out stockbroker who, in one day, lost his job, wife, and home.

He lands in a beautiful old hotel where the rent is cheap. As luck would have it, rent seemed to include a daily newspaper. Not just any newspaper. It was tomorrow’s newspaper.

That’s the premise of one of my favorite TV shows, Early Edition.

He’s given no explicit direction or instruction on what to do with this foreknowledge, only hints.

Choices

In my favorite episode, he opens the paper, and two events jump out at him.

A little girl dies in the hospital because of a doctor’s mistake.

A plane crashes and kills 190 people on take off after a flock of birds flies into the engines.

Gary notes the time of the events and figures he can stop the plane from taking off first and still have time to save the little girl.

Best Laid Plans

Gary didn’t count on a significant power outage across the city. Traffic is snarled, and the elevated train is down. He won’t have time to get to the airport and the hospital.

Now he has a choice. He will likely only be able to stop one event from happening. His mind races from the picture in the paper of the little girl and that of a boy the same age who dies on the plane.

He decides to do whatever it takes to save the plane.

No matter what he does, events conspire to prevent him from getting closer to the airport. Coincidently he does get closer to the hospital.

With time running out, he rushes into the hospital confronting the doctor. Security guards are called and start to drag him away.

As all seems lost, Gary shouts out the symptom the doctor is missing. Checking the charts, he suddenly realizes his judgment mistake and has the little girl rushed to surgery.

On his way to surgery, the doctor yells to the guards to release Gary. Meanwhile, the time passed, and the plane has crashed.

Gary is in the waiting room looking dejected when the doctor walks in.

“I don’t know how you knew, and I’m not sure I want to know. You saved that little girl’s life. You’re a hero.”

“I don’t feel much like a hero.” Images of the plane crash flash through his head.

The doctor slaps him on the knee, stands, and begins to walk away but is called over to talk to the little girl’s father.

“I was on the runway about to take off when I received the call to turn around,” said the father. “Another 30 seconds, and I’d have been in the air.”

Gary hears this and looks at the paper. It has changed. There is no plane crash. He glances up to see the little girl’s father is a pilot.

He is THE pilot of the plane Gary tried to save.

Do What You Can Do

None of us get tomorrow’s newspaper today. If you ever watched the show, you’d likely know it was more a burden than a blessing.

However, we experience Gary's dilemma of not knowing the best course of action. Or what impact we have on others.

Sometimes the only thing we can do is take the action at hand.

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I could list a dozen off the top of my head where a small action by myself or others on my behalf led to meeting my wife, getting a dream job, having a baby after doctors told us we couldn’t, and more.

Reflection:

Think of times, circumstances, coincidences, or events that came together for your good.

Think of times you took actions without full knowledge that blessed someone else.

Take a moment to imagine that life is conspiring for your good.