Advice from My 80-Year-Old Self

What would you say to “current” you?

In this entry, I take a trip to the future to see what 80-year-old me would say to my current 44-year-old self. It’s an interesting exercise, especially now that we’re nearing the end of the year in 2024.

Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash

Excerpted from my Raymond Waites Morning Pages journal on September 25, 2015

Now Listen Here, Sonny

Compared to yesterday’s view from here in my study, today’s view is non-inspiring and drab. I just remembered to open the window. At least it sounds better in here now with the low chirping of the crickets. The leaves are starting to come down for the season and already have speckled much of the ground underneath the maples.

Since it’s nearing the end of the week, I’m not much motivated to write today. I think I’ll look at some of this week’s tasks in The Artist’s Way.

Task #2: Describe yourself at 80. What did you do after 50 that you enjoyed? Be very specific. Now, write a letter from you at 80 to you at your current age. What would you tell yourself?

I see myself as retired and definitely not in a hurry. I still play guitar, but I only have one, maybe two acoustics and no electrics.¹ I see myself pausing more in life to observe God’s creation. I frequently sit outside on the porch in my rocking chair, possibly in the country, away from any noisy and fast-paced traffic.

I go fishing every now and then if I feel like it, but I mostly read and sometimes write. I’m not worried about publication because I just write for me. Money doesn’t drive my decisions or desires. I’ve sold or donated most of my books and now only read the ones I want to read for pleasure.

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And Furthermore…

There’s nothing much I need to learn any more about marketing or sales because I’m enjoying my simple life without all the fancy gadgets and toys. Just me, my wife, [our grown son, DJ, who hadn’t come along yet and wouldn’t for another seven years, unbeknownst to us], and our few precious things.

If I could write to my current self from the future, at age 44, I would tell myself to slow down and pause for the simple things in life. Stop trying to hurry through and trying to keep up with the Joneses. They’re too fast to keep up with, and there are too many of them anyway. Rather, set your own pace, adjust it as necessary, and go by that. Nobody else is you, and nobody else knows what you can handle or are capable of.