Winding Down

Not Me - Not Yet!

Photo by Pascal Debrunner on Unsplash

Hard to believe - it’s been three years since Dan went to live in a memory care facility. I’ve gotten through the caregiving, living as a new widow, and re-inventing myself stages. I’m not the same person today as I was then.

Some 85-year-olds are beginning to wind down - to move gradually toward an end to life - no thanks! I’m looking in the opposite direction - OK - maybe at a slower pace.

I love the Hunter S. Thompson quote (Thank you, Prue Batten, who writes Knots in the String).

Life's Journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting, “Holy shit, what a ride!

I read an article recently asking the question What is your ideal future? - ten or fifteen years from now. The author had a plan. Here’s mine.

• Continue writing the newsletter with additional features, perhaps.

• Live in my apartment with Bailey and Bella, the cats.

• Take care of my plants.

• Travel. My daughter and I just came back from an Alaskan cruise.

  

• Be as independent as possible, and take care of me.

• Continue learning Spanish, using the computer, and improving as a writer and artist.

• Do what it takes to age well.

• Be realistic about what I can and can’t do - but not let fear rule.

Generally speaking, it means doing things I enjoy on my own time, in my own space, and learning along the way.

What would your ideal future look like?

As I read more, these questions offered a path.

• How do I want to feel about myself ten years from now?
  I want to feel like I did my best and that I used my time on earth well.

• How do I want to spend the majority of my time ten years from now?
  I want to read, write, paint, take short trips, and care for my cats.

• Are my daily activities taking me where I want to go?
  I think so.

• What does my ideal day look like?
  A carbon copy of what I want my future to look like. The days aren’t always perfect, but at times, I get close.

The author suggests

As you forge your ideal day, remove conflicting behaviors before doing anything more. You can’t have confidence if what you say and what you do are incongruent.

I identified what I want my future to look like. Now, I need to make daily choices that lead me in that direction.

I now have a plan for my ideal future, do you?

P. S. It wasn’t kale cucumber but pickled kelp cucumber that we had with smoked salmon, cream cheese, on a cracker. Oops! If you ever get to Ketchikan - give it a try - it’s good.

If you want to contribute to my work, consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association. This link takes you to their website. The choice is yours.