Goals

Yesterday or the day before, I was tagged by Tish and invited to list 5 goals of mine. I must admit that I am more into pipe dreams and fairy tales than I am into goals. It’s a character flaw I suppose to be a dreamer rather than a planner. When my friend Jerry recently made some very kind remarks about me in which he said,

Perry is one of the smartest guys I know. Why aint he rich? If there was a necessary relationship between intelligence and wealth, Perry would be cruising the Caribbean in his yacht.

… it caused me to realize that the answer to his question “Why aint he rich?” is very much related to my being a dreamer rather than a planner. Assuming what Jerry says is true about my intelligence, which I really think is subject to question, I would guess that while intelligence may be a necessary condition to being wealthy, it isn’t a sufficient one.

But I digress and am obviously avoiding addressing Tish’s question about my 5 goals. So, biting the bullet, here goes.

• The first that comes to mind is the Moses Dunston goal. Moses used to say “Any day above ground is a good day.” I hope to complete this day and begin the next “above ground.”
• Another is to help my friends Paul Moor and Tucker Childers increase their blogs’ visibility and readership.
• Then I’d like to see my youngest grandchild Connor reach his 21st birthday on May 1, 2026. On that day, I’ll be 84 years old, presuming I am still “above ground.”
• One I’m almost sure to achieve is to stay engaged with and enthusiastic about technology as long as I live. I once said I’d almost be willing, if it were possible, to be placed in suspended animation just to see the advances in telephone technology a hundred years from now. I find such things as that fascinating. I hope to keep learning about them as long as I live.
• Lastly, I hope to get the carpet, that I already own thanks to my son Jeff, installed in my house so that I can once again walk barefooted around my house. I moved into this condo in 1984, and in 1987 my two dogs, Rocky and Bruno, joined my family. They were a beloved but destructive part of my household, so once they had gone on to doggy heaven after 14 years with me, my sons and I pulled up the trashed carpeting that was their legacy. My floors have been bare since that time. I think I may be able to achieve this goal in the next few weeks.

This exercise of struggling to think of any goals I have is enlightening. It helps me understand why I have achieved so little of any real significance in my life. I’m not sure I like what it reveals, but dissatisfaction with what I see when I look at myself could become a beginning point for changing things.