As I go outside to run each morning, I keep trying to see “Future Mike.”  Future Mike is coming in the door, already finished with his run, while I’m just headed out that door.  Most days I wish I was Future Mike, but that’s like wishing your life away.   I know that running is good for me and I always feel better afterwards, but I don’t always enjoy the experience of sweating and breathing hard.  I’m glad it’s over for today, so I can spend some time writing.

I’m a bachelor for a couple of days while my wife attends some business meetings.  Her company is headquartered in Iowa, “Field of Dreams,” a state that is definitely not at the top of my list of retirement destinations (post #138).  Needless to say, Future Mike is not interested in living there.  Since she was gone this morning, I took the opportunity to sleep in an extra couple hours, but find myself totally disoriented.  It feels like a weekend since I stepped away from my normal routine of getting up just before my wife.  I guess that’s what made the run that much harder this morning.

The Mike of the future will probably still be running every day, and hopefully be traveling around the world.  If I can figure out a way to “Time Travel,” I’ll probably do that, too.  My future self will also be enjoying the next stages of retirement, and not reliving the dreaded Ghost of Work Past.  Maybe I’ll buy myself a DeLorean!  Seriously, I’m not sure I want to think about the future right now, just savor the present.

One way to look to the future is to do a countdown.  These are usually started when you’re looking forward to something.  For example, I did a countdown to retirement.  If I go to the Viking Cruise website, there is a countdown clock showing 277 days until our trip from Venice to Athens happens.  Fortunately, we can only count up when it comes to life, otherwise our lifetimes would be hopelessly ticking away.  I’m counting on another 30 years, but as we all know, today could be my last.  On a more exciting note, I did see a SUV this morning with a countdown to summer written on the glass windows.  It started at 10 and all the numbers were crossed off except 2 and 1.  Two days and counting until school is out and summer is here.

10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1 Summer

Having the summer off was always good for us kids, but posed a challenge for working parents.  The countdown for them was always the opposite, as they looked forward to the start of a new school year.  We’re currently counting down to my wife’s birthday in 5 days, but knowing her as I do, she’ll manage to stretch it for a good month.  With a little luck, maybe I can stretch my next 30 years, as well.

I remember looking forward to summers, holidays, and weekends, but now every glorious day is the same.  We’ll still celebrate my birthdays, even if there aren’t really any additional Senior Citizen discounts for me after this year.  I will therefore not be counting down the days with anticipation.  If I still stayed up until midnight on New Year’s Eve, I would gladly participate in that countdown celebration.  We’ll also start a countdown for my wife’s retirement in five years.  By the way, only one more day until she gets back home from “Field of Dreams.”

Countdowns can include fractions.  I’ve updated a poem that I wrote in the month of October over 15 years ago, that shows the art of getting the most out of each of life’s events.  I mention the month it was originally written so you don’t get spooked that Halloween is just around the corner, but it will be here before we know it.  Only 138.5 days away if you want to start a countdown!

Fractions

My loving wife has taught me,
The art of timely fractions.
For celebrating each day,
Is one of life’s satisfactions.

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Events don’t come about,
But once a calendar year.
You shouldn’t have to wait,
Fractions keep them near.

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Days, hours, minutes,
The seconds tick away.
Today’s yesterday’s tomorrow,
Tomorrow is soon yesterday.

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It was just your 1/3 Birthday,
My 1/6th coming soon.
Our 16th Anniversary,
since our Vegas honeymoon.

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Sweetest Day has Passed,
November days away.
And it’s nearly New Year,
Almost Thanksgiving Day.

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Not quite Halloween,
But the countdown has begun.
It seems like only yesterday,
Enjoying summer’s sun.

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As time together passes by,
More magic memories made.
But not a moment shared with her,
That I would ever trade.

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There’s some that I’m not proud of,
Some that made us sad.
I never mean to do you wrong,
Be mean or make you mad.

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I’ve counted every day,
Made calendars and notes.
Today’s 6701 point 5,
My diary denotes.

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Two hundred twenty months together,
Two weeks and a couple hours.
It all adds up to a lot of love,
Gifts, Limoges and Flowers.

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Because we love each other,
The days go by so fast.
Keeping track of fractions,
Helps to make them last.

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I Love her more than anything,
And cherish that each day.
I’ll always give my very Best,
Not a fraction – all the way.

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