Time Travel 101 - Letter To My 80 Year Old Self
Thanks to everyone who’s taken part in the #timetravel101 writing prompt. I’m thrilled so many have participated in this.
My first post was a letter to my 20 year old self, this one will be a message broadcast thirty-four years into the future... when I’m eighty years old.
I urge you to try this as well! Please tag with #timetravel101 if you do participate. If you use this tag and leave a link in the post comment below to your post I'll upvote and resteem.
Dear Eighty Year Old Me:
I can’t imagine all of the things you’ve seen and all of the change you’ve lived through but hope life has been filled with good things.
Maybe the world you live in is a much better place and some of the problems we have today have been solved.
Where are you living now? I can’t imagine it’s the US, maybe France, the UK, or possibly Amsterdam?
I suspect you feel almost the same as I do now, with a few more aches and pains, but you’re sometimes surprised when you see the gray and wrinkled reflection peering back from the mirror.
I hope HardFork was a huge hit, helped to usher in mass adoption of cryptocurrency, and ended lots of the corruption that limits our lives and freedom today.
I’m sure you miss some of the people and things you’ve lost but maybe the good memories of them make you smile. Remember your old beagle Amstel?
He was the best dog a person could have ever wanted. You're smiling just thinking about him, aren't you?
I hope you and Raymi still hold hands and kiss one another before you go to sleep. I’m sure you both have put lots of miles on your feet and have experienced so much travel. The airlines must have more comfortable seats now.
Did you ever launch the meditation foundation in the public school systems like you planned? If so, I hope it’s spread world-wide.
I hope you're not a serious old coot. I hope you still have a zest for life, your weird sense of humor, and a reason to get out of bed each and every morning. I don’t want your life to have turned into some mind-numbing routine. You’re not watching daytime television, are you? If so, for God sake, stop and read a book or take a walk.
You still (attempt to) dance and try to learn new things regularly, right? Remember break dancing in high school? Shell toe Adidas with fat laces. Hilarious.
You’re not wearing black socks with shorts and sandals I hope! Jeezus man, that would be embarrassing.
I hope you relish your wisdom and don’t long for your youth too much. Maybe all of the yoga I’m doing has kept you nimble. I’m trying my best to make it as easy for you as possible.
I love you, and I hope to one day I’m lucky enough to stand in your shoes...just not too soon,
(signed) Forty-six year old me.
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Wow, this is amazing Eric!! So cool, inspired and somehow makes me feel so at ease in a way I don't usually feel when contemplating getting old. If old me is reading this comment, hope you still have a little flavor of the feeling I just had a hit of. Oh and I want to help make the meditation foundation in public schools foundation a reality! You're an inspiration for the ages!
Thanks, Doug! So glad you connected with this prompt! This middle phase of life can be tough because you begin to realize how fast time passes and you begin to understand your own mortality on a deeper level.
That would be so amazing to build that foundation together once we finish HardFork. How cool would it be to alternate between major film projects and projects for the greater good to give back? I read somewhere where there's a program that replaces detention with meditation lessons. I thought that was ingenious but I'd like to include meditation in the regular curriculum in some way. It'd be cool to brainstorm on this together. Thanks for the comment, brother!
Haha cool! Im so glad you took on this idea and that so many others did too. Steemit is wonderful in that way! Im still working my way in here step by step but really thank you for sharing so inspiring blogs! Keep it up. Have an amazing day.
Namaste Jonna
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Eric, I'd like to thank you again for this idea. I was really engaged when I read your '20 year old self' post and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Now that's writing, presenting a thought that makes people think, what a gift.
Well, I gave it a go - https://steemit.com/timetravel101/@noboxes/time-travel-101-a-letter-to-my-20-year-old-self
You're very welcome, @noboxes! You're very kind, I appreciate you taking the time to participate!
Dear @Ericvancewalton,
Wow, what a thought-provoking post... Almost entered into a trance as I attempted your writing prompt. (I've only been on here for a few days, so I hope I got the tag right). Thank you, Sir, and here's the link to my post: https://steemit.com/timetravel101/@yahialababidi/letter-to-my-80-year-old-self
Also, below, a short prose poem, addressed to my higher self that I hope you enjoy:
Encounter
I stirred in the small hours of the morning. Sensing a presence, I did not return to sleep, but ventured into the living room, apprehensively.
There, by the balcony, sat a familiar figure — cross-legged and reading in the semi-dark, with just the milky moonlight for company.
I do not know how I knew, but I did. I recognized the intruder, at once, with a mixture of dread and affection.
“I’m sorry,” were the only words to leave my lips. “I’m sorry, too,” replied my longed-for-self, with a sigh of infinite kindness and pity.
He did not rise to greet me and, somehow, spoke without words, transmitting what was needed.
Catching his glistening eye, the caring made me cry. “You’ve taken every detour to avoid me,” he gently reproached. “For every step I’ve taken towards you, you’ve taken back two”.
I did not know what to say in my defense (how could I protest against myself?) “I missed you,” he said, and feared you’d forgotten me.”
His admonishment was tender as a kiss. “I visit from time to time, and hope you’ll ask me to stay.” I knew what he said was true, and felt that way, too.
“I worried,” he continued, “if I postponed this visit, we might never meet, in this life… and so I came to sharpen your appetite.”
He rose and moved towards me. “There’s no need to speak, return to sleep. But when you rise, try to remember me. And to keep awake.”
Thanks so much for taking a part in the writing prompt! Really great work!
Eric, great to hear from you, I really enjoyed it =) Thanks, for the good work you do!
great post,.,.
Great idea, @ericvancewalton! Sounds like fun to write to your future self. I will definately follow up with my own letter. 😃
Thanks, @vangfo! I'm looking forward to reading it!
This is neat. I cherish the wisdom of our elders. It sure would be fun to meet our future self.
Thanks, Lydon! That it would! Maybe someday that will be possible.
Car of Travel To the Future haha :) Great post
Glad you enjoyed it!
great letter to yourself!
Thanks!
Good post, first to back and this to future .
Thanks, they both taught me similar (but different) things.