By Ryan Perdio
I’ve always imagined that by the time I reach my 30s that I’d be living in a crystal palace amongst the clouds somewhere in the middle of the city. Well, that milestone age has been and gone with the dream quite far from being a reality.
I admit that a big part of the reason why I hadn’t made any headway to ever realising this is the pilfering of my youth – a sizable chunk at that – on overspending and hedonistic pursuits. The kind that’s usually only supposed to be enjoyed generally in retirement, after many years of earning and saving every penny. But even if I was given the benefit of hindsight and a do-over, it would still be quite challenging to achieve even close to what I’d imagined.
Unless you’ve been living an insulated existence – under a rock, in a cave, on an island, somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – the current (mis)state of World Finances is an all-too-real dreary reality lived by many. The way things are going, I’d be lucky to afford any kind of place on my own where there’ll not only be electricity but also running water.
But I digress.
The reason why I’ve delved into this particular bag of nostalgia is an email I came across while clearing out a backlog of saved missives in my Inbox. It was written many years ago. A forward chain, it was one of those “Get To Know You” timewasters designed to give others a peek into one’s personality simply by answering a series of random and not-so-random questions. The one that set off this train of thought: How do you see yourself in 20 years’ time?
A forward chain, it was one of those “Get To Know You” timewasters designed to give others a peek into one’s personality simply by answering a series of random and not-so-random questions. The one that set off this train of thought: How do you see yourself in 20 years’ time?
Well, aside from the inner-city apartment are the following others in my then-future wish list:
- A sports car, preferably a convertible;
- A holiday house by the beach;
- A round-the-world trip;
- A family with two kids; and
- A room filled with a LEGO city.
While some of these did come true and others will never see the light of day, it was quite the list created by that once bright-eyed somewhat naïve teenager—one who reminded this now experienced and tempered adult of the ambitious dreams he held back then.
It’s fascinating, if not poignant, to see how much disparity there can sometimes be between dream and reality. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I guess that’s just foresight being optimistic, however lofty some ambitions can be.
(For comments or feedback, email rperdio@rocketmail.com)
