I make and remake my ten-year plan regularly. A ten-year plan, as I've written about time and again, helps me to focus, organize, and choose wisely.
So today before I embark on a long list of tasks, I'm taking a few moments to focus son my ten-year plan.
Immediate Family
I want to be there for my family, and that's a priority when it comes to my ten-year plan. I want to help my children with their families, homes, good times, and endeavors. I also want to give them the space they need to embark on their own lives and choices. I truly enjoy my marriage and want to be there for my partner as well--I want to support his interests, desires, health, and well being in all the ways I can. He does the same for me. This is good.
Extended Family
The extended family is growing by leaps and bounds. I want to be there for them too, but realize that my support is somewhat limited given time, distance, needs, and priorities. So when I can help, I will help, and when I can't, I'll have to be at peace with that. It's a big, big diverse family, and I'm only one person.
Home
It's likely that I may move sometime in the next ten years (or I might not), but with that in mind, I only want to do the jobs that will support good living now and a good move later on. We've done a lot of home update jobs in the past few years, and may do one or two more, but in the meantime my goal is to have a warm, welcoming, simple home.
Good times
I love good times at home and away so I'll continue to find affordable ways to enjoy the world around me with friends and family.
Friends
Like my extended family, my friends are moving in countless directions due to their many personal commitments, constraints, needs, and interests. I want to be there for my friends when I have what they need, and I want to enjoy their company when time and place affords that. I also need to give my friends the space they need to live their lives. This is an area of change in my life.
Health and Wellbeing
I want to make choices that lead to best possible health and wellbeing. As far as exercise goes, I mostly want to get my exercise via lots of home and garden jobs as well as chid care and family/friend activities.
The ten year plan
As I've written before, the ten-year plan is mostly more of the same as outlined above. We'll see where life takes us. If I could make a guess about my life ten years from now, this is what I imagine. Sadly, some whom I love dearly will be gone in ten years due to mostly natural causes. Others will face greater life constraints and compromises mostly due to health issues since we are all getting older. Life for many will become simpler too with more close-to-home activities wherever they choose to live. The young people in my world will be making lots of various career choices and likely live in a large variety of places with a myriad of friends and relatives. I will continue to enjoy gardening, nature, getting together with friends, and hopefully biking and travel too. I may have more grandchildren which will be a joy. With that in mind, I want to cherish the people in my life now and continue to support best possible relationships and good, healthy living for all over time. Onward.
