dream forward

Growing up, my grandma was the sidekick to my grandpa’s comedic genius.  Grandpa delivered jokes like a court jester, and afternoons together meant lots of laughter and bursts of mischief.

I cringed when my grandma served green beans, but my grandpa saved-the-day by shoveling all my veggies onto his plate whenever she turned away.  Still hungry after dinner, the dessert worked in reverse, and the brownies trekked from grandpa’s plate to mine without anyone discovering our secret.

Grandma’s funny, yes, but she’s usually described as kind, creative, and welcoming.  My grandpa passed away a few years ago, and, shortly after, she joined the comedy troop at her retirement center.  The original sidekick now spends weeknights preparing jokes for the annual laugh festival.

Sweet grandma surprised the entire family by revealing her comedic genius.  It took nearly 80 years to embrace her funny, but now it seems like a natural part of her personality.  Which, of course, makes me curious about the my own future: Will I embrace new talents in 50 years? Discover new passions after retirement?

My mom recently told me that she, “met a kindred spirit and can’t believe it took this long to find her.”  Momma just cleared 50, and the the number of girls at her weekly “BFF Brunch” just keeps growing.  According to her, “there’s always room for another friend at the breakfast table.”

So mom’s making best friends and grandma’s making people laugh.  Good new on both fronts, but more than mere statements, their activities make me eager to dream forward.

Marina Keegan distinguished ‘dreaming forward’ as focusing on future opportunities and ‘dreaming backward’ as reflecting on lost opportunities.  In other words, don’t fret about the past, but set your sights on the goodness still to come.  If you like the ‘be the reason someone smiles’ graphic, check out Rhonna Designs 🙂