Perhaps every adult experiences a moment when the gulf between childhood dreams and present reality is glaringly evident. No less a writer than Turgenev captured the anguish of having to ask what we could have done with all the time that a human life encompasses. But then again, those childhood dreams hardly reflected our mature judgment. Imagine if we could step outside of time and look at the present moment with both idealism and wisdom. The reality might be shocking and horrifying, but it could still make a pretty good story.