Hello, Support for Aging Blog Readers!
I’d like to give you a bit of a preview as to what you might expect here. At least one time per month, I will be posting a personal blog. It might be about a personal growth opportunity I have been working on in my life. It might be about something I recently learned that might be interesting to you, or it might be something whimsical! In any case, I will be as vulnerable and as authentic as I can in this public forum and hope you will somehow benefit from it all.
I am excited to announce I will also be inviting guest bloggers to join me, and our first guest’s blogpost is already underway.
This is what is on my mind. I saw this quote and I’ve been thinking about how it applies to me, especially in my current situation.
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the one you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor, Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream. Discover.”
I found this exciting. 20 years from now I’ll be 87. Will I live another 20 years? I don’t know, and I’ll take whatever I get. I was recently reminded of how I’ve seen people give up on their plans. I felt sad. It caused me to think about how to make my dreams work in the context of limitations I’ve been facing.
I’ve had a few health challenges in the past 8 months. It hasn’t been fun. It seemed like my first months following the change in my work schedule was filled with doctor appointments. Some of you can relate.
So…I refuse. I refuse to give up on my dreams. One of my big goals is to travel. I want to see national parks, monuments, and historic sites. I want to see the wonders of the modern world. I want to take photos of things that catch my eye.
For a time, it may need to be more local. To explore the many options there are right in our backyard. To revisit places and see new exhibits. To stimulate my mind by learning history and exposing myself to different cultures.
Then, I want to take on those other more challenging trips. I may need accommodations. On my last trip, I needed to pack very lightly. While I am accustomed to carrying my own backpack and small rolling suitcase for trips, this last time I needed help to move my bags. Needing help and asking for it is okay. I’m not saying it’s easy. I don’t much like it, but if it meant I could travel, I surrendered to the need to keep my dreams alive.
I’m wondering if, like me, you have some dreams you want to “throw off the bowlines” for. I invite you to “Explore. Dream. Discover” like Susan Frances Brown said. Join me in figuring out how to make it possible. It’ll be an adventure.