I was visiting with a friend on the street-corner the other day when he suddenly stated that he had his 20-year life plan worked out. I was so shocked; my eyebrows nearly flew off my head. Such absurdity! I said, “You must be nuts.” This guy is on the wrong side of 70 and even if he is alive in 20 years, he’d probably be in a nursing home as well as suffering from oldtimer’s disease.
He smugly explained that “No matter if I’m around or not, developing a 20-year life plan is a good idea. It allows me to guarantee focusing on my goal no matter if I’m not around for the end. It will be my legacy.” I intimated that a 5-year plan might be more pragmatic, but he scoffed at that.
How different I was than him – a little older too as well. Three years ago, I planned to take Sheila to Quebec City for a well-deserved vacation. It didn’t happen for some reason and now it probably won’t in 2021 either. I’m considering Quebec City for next year but any ideas beyond one year, I have no clue. I tried to picture myself five years hence and a kaleidoscope of images intermingled in my mind – jumbled up, not even one coherent. Maybe I should take baby steps like one week at a time!
Even if I could eventually come up with say, a plan for a road trip to play out, where would I begin? I’d need a more reliable car. If I didn’t’ have my driver’s license because of poor eyesight or arthritis which is creeping right along, I would require a chauffeur. It would have to be a much younger person with a sense of direction and sensible like myself.
Where would I find someone like that?
Now my friend was describing the first two years of his plan. He would be making a garden three feet high. Man, that would sure take a heap of soil! No, he said, the first foot or so would be composting then another foot of plain earth. Where was this going? The second year would be a layer of topsoil. Being a large garden begged the question if he was going to plant seeds with a drone? No, I’m going to design it like a maze where you can plant in any part of it and not even have to stretch. A maze -I was amazed at how daft it sounded.
I remember inheriting my house. My father had a thriving garden each year – and it was a big one. Since then, it has dwindled to a 6 x 6 foot one. In fact, next year I’m hoping to have it sodded over and green grass growing – the dead opposite of my friend.
I figure he has an engineering mindset, able to find ways to maintain his plan on a steady path. He would even create an architectural blueprint of the garden – probably to hang up at Kenny’s Store. Unlike his, my mindset is focused on more imminent processes, sometimes whimsical and occasionally working out. I can picture my lunch tomorrow but nothing definitive about a meal in a few days. I’m comfortable with this pliable style more so than one like his that is so firmly rooted.
But a life plan, short or long, sometimes for unexplained reasons can be redirected or revoked at any time. I mentioned a visit to Quebec City for example. However, I have a younger cousin who appreciates isolation. His life-long plan was to raise a family in the wilderness of the Yukon. He eventually met a woman near Vancouver who saw the idea as appealing. They married, built their dream cabin but after three years of no electricity and no social life, she couldn’t take it any longer and left. The odds of him meeting a new partner are stacked against him. I understand that he is still totally alone except for a yearly jaunt to Whitehorse for supplies.
Having a life-plan could have benefits – at least for some people, such as keeping you balanced, sorting out priorities and even identifying an opportunity before it slips away.
However, in my opinion, a 20-year plan for retirement age is just strained too thin.
