On my continuing quest to make 2016 the awesomest year yet, I give you… yet another writing prompt! Today’s prompt comes from Tina Seelig… whose profile at Stanford made me say “Wow!” about 14 times. Seriously. That is some whoa-making-impressive stuff right there. Without further ado, I shall follow the prompt of a person who is making those kinds of impacts!
What advice would your future self a year from now give you today?
Hey, Seonaid. Talking to yourself again, are you? Here’s the deal (you already know it): You don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s a big darn mystery. You have some plans and hopes and dreams, and you have some sense of how to play those out, but no. You don’t really know what’s going to happen. (Sorry to have to be the one to remind you. All I’ve got in my defence is, you only know what I know. Or perhaps, I only know what you know.)
Hey, my friend. You’re doing just fine. Remember that conversation with your daughter about all the things you’ve managed to do without breaking any bones? You’ve done a lot of stuff. You’re going to keep doing a lot of stuff. You’ve got friends, and people who love you, and food in the fridge, and money in the bank. You have kids you want to hang out with, who want to hang out with you, at least some of the time. You have time to play, a Big Project that feeds the practical parts of your mind, and perpetual goofing around with Big Ideas to keep you entertained.
That being said, don’t just sit around waiting for the magic horse to show up (with or without the white knight.) Dreaming is great, and it keeps you nurtured, but if you want to harvest tomatoes, you’ve got to get into the garden. (That was a metaphor. And also, it wasn’t.)
Get your butt in the game (hee hee… I said “butt” in an inspirational post…)
Oh, yeah. Don’t count on being all grown up in another year. I hear it’s overrated anyway.