Like a lot of â80s kids, I grew up watching Back to the Futureâbut for me, it wasnât just a fun sci-fi romp with time travel and hoverboards. It was the movie trilogy that cracked my imagination wide open.
And now, decades later, Iâm about to do something I never dreamed Iâd get to do: meet Michael J. Fox and Christopher LloydâMarty McFly and Doc Brown themselvesâat Calgary Fan Expo.
Yes, Iâm screaming inside. And yes, this moment means a lot more to me than just a cool photo op.
đ A Childhood Crush⌠and Something Deeper
When I was 8 years old, I developed a serious crush on Michael J. Foxâbut not because he was a Hollywood heartthrob. It was because of Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties.
He was nerdy. He was sharp. He had ideas and opinions and intensityâand that really did it for me. Intelligence was, and still is, something I admire deeply in others. I didnât care that he was a Republican (though trust me, I do now đŹ). What stuck with me was how he owned who he was.
That early admiration made Marty McFly even more compelling. He wasnât just coolâhe was smart, loyal, emotional, a little impulsive, and just trying to do the right thing. I related to that more than I realized at the time.
âł A Story About Regret, Courage, and Changing the Narrative
As Iâve grown older and taken on the task of rewriting parts of my lifeâthrough blogging, studying, and reworking my careerâthe Back to the Future trilogy has taken on new meaning.
Itâs not really about changing the past. Itâs about understanding it. Learning from it. And realizing that who we are today is shaped by those experiencesâbut not defined by them.
I canât hop in a DeLorean and fix every wrong turn. But I can show up today with more clarity, more strength, and more purpose. And thatâs kind of its own time travel, isnât it?
⥠A Fandom That Feels Like Home
I love the creativity that surrounds Back to the Futureâthe cosplay, the DeLoreans, the fan art, the clever nods in pop culture. But even more than that, I love the feeling it gives me.
That feeling of possibility. Of adventure. Of being able to look ahead without forgetting where Iâve come from.
And as I get ready to step into the Fan Expo halls this weekend dressed as Meg Griffin (because, balance đ), Iâll be carrying that feeling with me.
Final Thought:
If youâd told 9-year-old me that one day sheâd get to stand beside Marty and Doc for a photo, sheâd probably have exploded into sparkles.
And maybe thatâs the real magic of fandomâkeeping those little pieces of wonder alive, even when time keeps moving forward.
â
Mell