“When I’m 96…”
I’ve been using this filter lately, to help me prioritize options in the moment, and I’m finding it most useful!
When I’m 96, looking back at my life from my rocking chair on the porch, so many things will be evidently clear.
What mattered.
What didn’t.
Time well-spent.
Time initially lost (but always faithfully redeemed by God).
People I tended to well.
People I spurned.
Where I invested wisely.
Where I missed the mark.
What I held onto that I should have released.
What I released that I should have held on to.
Opportunities I took.
And the ones that I missed.
Times I said “yes” when “no” would have been wise.
Times I chose “no” when “yes” would have led to blessing.
There’s a clarity that comes with age and a depth that comes through experience.
When I’m 96, I expect to have plenty of both (age AND experience) to draw from.
When I’m 96, my filter will have changed to “When I’m 110…” but the idea will remain.
Life is happening right now, and I want to be able to smile when I’m 96, knowing I took advantage of the BEST things IN THE MOMENT. I want to be able to look back and see that I prioritized what was truly important overall.
That deadline at work? Yes, it matters, and yes, we need to steward well what’s in our hands. BUT, life shouldn’t always be about deadlines at work.
There are deadlines in life, too. There are experiences we can’t get back.
At (nearly) 40, I’m realizing with more clarity than ever that I’ve let life slip by at times because I caught in the mundane or tossed in the shuffle of things that weren’t that important.
I chose comfort and familiarity over adventure and the unknown.
I chose what I knew over what I could be introduced to.
I chose work, work, work over people, people, people.
I chose lack over abundance.
I chose despair over joy.
I chose hopelessness over possibility.
So many choices that I’m doing differently now, and so many things I’m still learning.
When I’m 96, I hope to still be learning, and still correcting course where needed.
When I’m 96, I hope I have grace for my (nearly) 40-year-old self, and I hope I make my 110-year-old-self proud!
When I’m 96, I hope to be wise and kind and unbothered by that which isn’t important. I hope to forgive easily and quickly release what’s not for me. I hope to live well, laugh often, and love much (just like the wall sign says 😉 #iykyk)!
While I’m (nearly) 40, I hope to be living into those things NOW and growing into the lady I will be when I’m 96.
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