What I still Want to Accomplish
This is the second in a series about what we still want to accomplish. Here’s a link to the first. Write to us at writingaboutourgeneration@gmail.com about what you still want to do.
This past month I reached my 75th birthday. I have no idea how I got here so quickly.
As we grow older our memories return to when we were young. I can clearly see myself learning to ride my bike, passing my driving test, burying my mother and father, meeting the love of my life, and having children—all in vivid color and down to the most minute detail. My career recollections, my political protests, are bright and colorful.
The sad experiences have faded. They do not hold a central place in my psyche, but are instead filed deep in the cabinet of my mind under despair, “do not open.” How fortunate am I that the joys of life dance in my memories and the sadnesses are mostly forgotten?
With what I believe might be the last few years of my life, it’s up to me to figure out what I hope to accomplish with what time is remaining. What are my priorities, goals, dreams, aspirations, focus and must dos?
At the top of my list is the need to ensure I am never a burden to my family. Beneath that there are the little things: keeping the hummingbirds well-nourished throughout the summer; planting milkweed for the monarch butterflies; keeping the bluebird boxes clean and ready for nesting; piling rich compost on all my shrubs, plants and trees; protecting the family home for future generations; and fighting for a country that resembles the one I love because liberty and justice is the American Way.
I will strive to make new friends, nurture the old ones, and provide wisdom while placing my shoulder to the wheel whenever needed. I believe one of the most important desires I hold dear for the remainder of my life is to bring happiness, hope, compassion and understanding to all those who need it.
In my small sphere of existence, that is not a lot of people. But if I can just lift up one life, garner a joyful smile, inspire valuable conversation, take away another’s sadness and feel the warmth of a contented soul, then the days ahead will possess everything my “still beating” heart desires.