Begin With the End in Mind

tita melvi emails me about her responses to my blog, and sends me a write-up she did for all family and friends, about what she learned from Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. she reminds us of the first three principles-- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, and set your priorities.

hmmm. funny that i've been thinking about my end a lot these days. oooh no no no, not The End as in ending it all, but The End as in what am i doing here? what is the meaning of all that i do and am trying to do? where am i going? where do i want to go? that stuff.

and so, off the cuff, here is my picture of The End-- a product of many years of daydreaming and living and making mistakes and finding out what works for me and what doesn't, which has apparently come to a head and crystallized more clearly after a week of flu ... : )

***

i am in my eighties, a gorgeous globetrotting grandma who has lived much and loved well and has been equally loved as well in return. i live in a small cottage or a log cabin with a flower, vegetable and herb garden all around, in the middle of a vast expanse of greenery, near a forest AND a lake, with a pet cat named Destiny. i have lived happily, naughtily, passionately and always joyfully with the man i have loved for half my life-- he is my best friend, lover, partner in crime, soulmate, travelling companion, sparring partner all in one.

our children are all grown, living happy, authentic, enriching and meaningful lives of their own. we spend our days doing what we love to do most. i read, write, listen to music, tend my garden, make love to him every time i feel like it (which is every time). he reads too, writes if he is so inclined, listens to his own music, works on his pet projects, and cooks for us both (i am resigned to washing the dishes, after 40 years of trying to cook well!). from time to time, we argue heatedly and then we always make up passionately. we travel a lot, in nearby out of the way places within the country, and in far out out of the way places outside the country. we always have lots of laughs and fun, even when we're arguing. to us, the world is an amusement park not to be taken too seriously, and we thumb our noses up at its antics.

for the last 40 years of my life, i have lived and supported my self and my children and contributed to my life with my Love, earning from what i do best-- writing, speaking, research and consultancy and travelling. i have made and kept many friends all over the world, and have been enriched by their friendship, as i hope they have been enriched by mine.

we are not rich, but we are incredibly wealthy, surrounded by the people and things that give us most pleasure and growth. we have tried to live a moderate life, when it comes to managing our resources, and our moderation has paid off in the comfortable life we are able to afford now, even in our retirement. i still earn royalties from my books, while he from his investments.

my books have not only become popular bestsellers, they have also been critically acclaimed all over the world. people read, not because they are trendy, but because they find themselves in them again, and their lives are affirmed. my books live on long after i am gone.

one Christmas morning, our children and grandchildren find my Love and i, both naked in bed, arms embraced and legs lazily entangled around each other, with a look of peaceful bliss on our seemingly sleeping faces, after one last night of gloriously making passionate love with each other, before we passed on, together, to forever.

*****

The End. : )


... and now, my life begins!