Where will I be in five years?
That’s a good question. A really good question. Hmmmmm……
Well, I had always hoped to invent a time machine someday so, if I did do it eventually, Future Jared will simply visit me now and tell me what will happen to him/me in five years.
….
And, since I have not been visited by an older version of myself wearing some kind of shiny, futuristic garb, I am going to assume that either I will never invent a time traveling machine or Future Jared is a jerk. I’m leaning more towards the latter.
There is a saying that goes, “Men plan, God laughs.” I guess it might seem a little cynical at first, but there is some truth in it. We can make all the plans in the world, but sometimes the world has its own plans. And part of life is being able to compromise and adapt to the situations and people around you; to not get discouraged; and to never stop moving toward some goal, even if you have to take the scenic route and it sometimes seems like you are going backwards. Never stop moving.
Some scientists view the future as a vast array of innumerable possibilities branching off of the immediate present, not unlike the branches of a tree stretching away from the trunk in every direction. And, as you go through life, you will come to an infinite number of forks in the road and you will have to decide what to do. Some decisions will be easy (“Should I put on pants before I go to school today?”) and others will be hard (“Should I get Rocky Road or Cookie Dough ice cream…or both?”). You will constantly have opportunities for success, so don’t worry if you miss a couple.
Did you know that, if the universe is infinite, then that means there are an infinite number of versions of you and me living out every type of life we could ever possibly think of and more? Out there in the universe there is a version of you who actually likes country music (Scary, right?) and a version of me who actually goes to the gym on a regular basis and is therefore in good shape. You are a successful teenage doctor like Young Neil Patrick Harris on another world and I am President of the United States in yet another (God help us if that ever happens). And, if the universe is infinite, then that means there are an infinite number of Jareds sitting on an infinite number of couches typing out these very words an infinite number of times. If your brain has not exploded from thinking about all these infinities, then please read on. If your brain has exploded…well, I guess I’m sorry…I hope it wasn’t too messy.
My point is that, while it is a good idea to make plans for the future and to have goals and dreams, do not be surprised if some of them don’t come true and that maybe even better opportunities will come your way. We might not know what the future holds, but the possibilities are literally limitless.
For me, I guess the only thing I know for certain is that in five years I’ll be 29 years old and my 30th birthday will be looming in the not-so-distant future. Hopefully, I’ll be finishing up on my graduate studies and starting to look for a job that pays well and gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I am making a difference in this world. Maybe I’ll be married or maybe I’ll still be single. Maybe I’ll still be in Albany or maybe I’ll retreat to warmer climates. There are so many things that can happen in five years; I can’t wait to see what’s in store.
All of this is assuming, of course, that I don’t die in the near future. In that case, I’ll probably be decomposing underground or sitting in an urn on a mantel somewhere in five years.
Well, that ending was surprisingly dark :D
That’s a good question. A really good question. Hmmmmm……
Well, I had always hoped to invent a time machine someday so, if I did do it eventually, Future Jared will simply visit me now and tell me what will happen to him/me in five years.
….
And, since I have not been visited by an older version of myself wearing some kind of shiny, futuristic garb, I am going to assume that either I will never invent a time traveling machine or Future Jared is a jerk. I’m leaning more towards the latter.
There is a saying that goes, “Men plan, God laughs.” I guess it might seem a little cynical at first, but there is some truth in it. We can make all the plans in the world, but sometimes the world has its own plans. And part of life is being able to compromise and adapt to the situations and people around you; to not get discouraged; and to never stop moving toward some goal, even if you have to take the scenic route and it sometimes seems like you are going backwards. Never stop moving.
Some scientists view the future as a vast array of innumerable possibilities branching off of the immediate present, not unlike the branches of a tree stretching away from the trunk in every direction. And, as you go through life, you will come to an infinite number of forks in the road and you will have to decide what to do. Some decisions will be easy (“Should I put on pants before I go to school today?”) and others will be hard (“Should I get Rocky Road or Cookie Dough ice cream…or both?”). You will constantly have opportunities for success, so don’t worry if you miss a couple.
Did you know that, if the universe is infinite, then that means there are an infinite number of versions of you and me living out every type of life we could ever possibly think of and more? Out there in the universe there is a version of you who actually likes country music (Scary, right?) and a version of me who actually goes to the gym on a regular basis and is therefore in good shape. You are a successful teenage doctor like Young Neil Patrick Harris on another world and I am President of the United States in yet another (God help us if that ever happens). And, if the universe is infinite, then that means there are an infinite number of Jareds sitting on an infinite number of couches typing out these very words an infinite number of times. If your brain has not exploded from thinking about all these infinities, then please read on. If your brain has exploded…well, I guess I’m sorry…I hope it wasn’t too messy.
My point is that, while it is a good idea to make plans for the future and to have goals and dreams, do not be surprised if some of them don’t come true and that maybe even better opportunities will come your way. We might not know what the future holds, but the possibilities are literally limitless.
For me, I guess the only thing I know for certain is that in five years I’ll be 29 years old and my 30th birthday will be looming in the not-so-distant future. Hopefully, I’ll be finishing up on my graduate studies and starting to look for a job that pays well and gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I am making a difference in this world. Maybe I’ll be married or maybe I’ll still be single. Maybe I’ll still be in Albany or maybe I’ll retreat to warmer climates. There are so many things that can happen in five years; I can’t wait to see what’s in store.
All of this is assuming, of course, that I don’t die in the near future. In that case, I’ll probably be decomposing underground or sitting in an urn on a mantel somewhere in five years.
Well, that ending was surprisingly dark :D
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