Today’s poem is another marker in time.
Let’s get started in 3… 2… 1!
Ambition is tricky, and trade-offs are hard. Decisions difficult, consequences far. My future awaits me. It beckons me there. But I am too much in the present to care. Or sometimes I am even stuck in the past. Thinking I could righten all wrongs at last. My future awaits me. It calls out my name. It feels so enormous. It makes me feel tame. Or maybe I'm frightened of what if I fail? Of hardship, of crisis, of rain, wind, and hail. My future awaits me. It soothes my cold nerves. I summon the courage to walk on its turf. I try to befriend it, to ride on its waves. I swim it. Survive it. I walk as it paves. My future awaits me. It holds my hand strong. We walk step in step as new futures are born.
That’s it! Thanks for reading edition no. 120 of Hello Universe. Ten dozen of these out there in the world, how cool is that.
I had written and shared this poem 16 months ago. It feels like I need yet another marker in time that sets me on a new path, and hence, I published this poem again. Hope you enjoyed it too, dear reader!
I’m curious to know - How do you feel when you think about your future?
Leave a comment below and share your thoughts with me and the Hello Universe community. I reply to comments with a mini poem, and I’m feeling the vibes today. Let’s have a conversation!
Check out Some Fun Stuff below.
Some Fun Stuff
This is a place where I share something cool to read, something cool to listen to, and something cool to watch! The colored words are links that you can click to visit the recommended content.
1. Read Respectful Smartass by Ariana Newhouse and add relatable humor to your life: Ariana is one of my favorite writers on Substack and I’m a huge fan of her sense of humor. She talks about relatable feelings like this latest post from her about time passing by faster with age. She puts a smile on my face and I totally recommend you to go read her.
2. Listen to Nakamarra by Hiatus Kaiyote: A thing of mellifluous beauty, this song is my favourite discovery of 2023. Much like the above recommendation, this song is sure to put a smile on your face!
3. Watch Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1: 14 months ago, when the trailer for this film was released, I raved about my fandom of the Mission Impossible series of films. It is, in my humble opinion, the best action movie series of our times. Somehow, it has also turned over the past 2 movies into an examination of the kind of person Ethan Hunt, its main protagonist is.
What kind of a person is he to do such reckless and unbelievable feats in the face of danger? What is is authentic self? And in doing so, it shows us a higher ideal of an individual, who, although a little crazy, dedicates himself to shaping the world into an ideal place, one where the individual does not need to be sacrificed for the greater good. I love Mission Impossible, and I absolutely ABSOLUTELY love Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1, which I saw this weekend. I think you should too!
As a treat for you, here are all the stunts and their behind the scenes footage:
That’s it for this week, see you next Tuesday!
My future
One of my kids just graduated, so I've ben thinking about /his/ future quite a bit. Like most parents, I'm excited to see where he goes in life. In my case, I'm closer to retirement than anything, and have been thinking about what that looks like. I know what I'd be retiring from, but wonder what I'll be retiring to.
Great poem. I’m at a point in my life when my future is staring at me every day, tempting me. I’m still developing, and work will force me to move to another city next year, and afterwards I’ll get more independence as a legal professional. I know it will happen, which makes the present feel even more temporary than usual. Exciting, but a little scary too, just like the future should be!