Week #5: List what you would like your life to look like in ten years
Again, this seems to be a challenge more suited for a younger person…one with more life ahead of them. My first inclination is to make jokes: I could describe my ideal cemetery plot, or list any number of glib responses like:
“I’d like to still be vertical.”
“Not yet in a home.”
“Above ground.”
“Still able to feed myself.”
These are all true statements, but indicative of the age-bias that I still seem to hold onto (having been a part of the generation that didn’t trust anyone over the age of thirty and sang, “…Hope I die before I get old!”), though I’m old enough to be affected by it. When it comes right down to it, I still make plans for far into the future, though I passed the median life expectancy many years ago.
- I would like to be self sufficient and strong
- with my mental faculties still intact.
- I would hope to be retired from working for others.
- I would like to be taking long walks every day
- I plan to still keep up a large garden
- and maybe finally add a small flock of chickens.
- I would still be active in art-making
- and possibly still teaching a bit.
- I’d possibly have built my wood fire kiln,
- and be working a great deal more in clay.
- I’d like to think I’d be “known” by then, for my art or my writing (perhaps a book or two?)
- and that I’d get some travel in, to art openings or bookstores, for promotional purposes.
- I hope my sisters and I will still find opportunity to get together, and that we’ll continue to have plenty to laugh and talk about,
- that my daughters will still appreciate my company
- and my friends will still be close.
