I’ve always been told by my parents and grandparents to think about my future as I shape and orient my goals. They tell me to think about what kind of life I want for myself and for my loved ones and then think about what I need to do to achieve that. During our retreat, we were asked to do something similar but we were to think about our life by the time we turn 80. In the past when I would envision my future, the images in my head consisted mostly of myself living a comfortable life my family. I’d have a one-story home, my extended family would be a short drive away, and we’d have the time and resources to travel, to host dinner parties for my friends and family, etc. (Does such a life exist?) When we were asked in class to think about what we would want our life to be like at 80, I realized that I’ve never really thought this far into my life at all.
I ended up writing almost two pages of thoughts in my notebook during the exercise and I still had so much to think about and write by the time we had to come back together for discussion. While yes, I have spent an extensive amount of time thinking about my “future”, I never thought of how I’d want my life to be like beyond my 50s until then. That’s hardly where life ends, at least that’s not where I’d like my life to. I’d like to think that other people wouldn’t want their lives to end in their 50s either if they had a choice. I realized that there is so much more to life even when I’m well past “senior” status. By the time I’m 80, I still want to be doing things that I love. I still want to be able to go to places I want to see and experience. I still want to be able to make new friends and try new things. Just because I’d be “old”, doesn’t mean that there won’t be anything “new” that can come into my life. With this new perspective, although still just a spark but has the potential to grow, I am excited to see what else I’ll come to realize and learn in this program.
I ended up writing almost two pages of thoughts in my notebook during the exercise and I still had so much to think about and write by the time we had to come back together for discussion. While yes, I have spent an extensive amount of time thinking about my “future”, I never thought of how I’d want my life to be like beyond my 50s until then. That’s hardly where life ends, at least that’s not where I’d like my life to. I’d like to think that other people wouldn’t want their lives to end in their 50s either if they had a choice. I realized that there is so much more to life even when I’m well past “senior” status. By the time I’m 80, I still want to be doing things that I love. I still want to be able to go to places I want to see and experience. I still want to be able to make new friends and try new things. Just because I’d be “old”, doesn’t mean that there won’t be anything “new” that can come into my life. With this new perspective, although still just a spark but has the potential to grow, I am excited to see what else I’ll come to realize and learn in this program.