FORWARD ... AND BACKWARDS

 

The passing of time really affects our understanding of life, doesn't it?

Have a look at the enclosed picture! I took it fifteen years ago at the start of my life as a retiree. Then, it felt like a new beginning, and my view of the picture mirrored that. To me, it seemed to show an open sea of opportunities, which I had finally reached, just like the boat was reaching the open waters after laboriously fighting through the ice.

This was my view then. Now, as a newly baked octogenarian, I am looking at the same picture, but my impressions are somewhat different. It is as if everything were going backwards instead of forward. As if the boat were slowly but surely backing into the ice after leaving the open waters. Soon, it would exhaust its engine and finally stop, forever in icy stasis.

Then, I was looking at maybe twenty years of active retirement. I am now well aware that, statistically speaking, only five years remain for me, judging by the average remaining life span of a Swedish male. What to make of it? Idle away the hours in awaiting the inevitable? Fortunately, my mind does not work like that. Instead, I will try to carry out one last project that should take up to five years to finalise. Hopefully, it will keep me going to finish it in time. “Spera et labora” will be my motto forthwith!

In this spirit, please permit me to send you 

my most sincere wishes for a Happy Holiday Season

whatever phase of life you are in and whatever projects you have in mind!