A Year From Now... and Further

Often, I find myself looking back at past achievements and experiences, wondering how I have used what I have learned and accomplished in moving forward, hopefully making myself a better person. Especially, in 2020, with travel and human interaction seriously curtailed, I've looked at the past without looking too far in the future.

But now that my eldest daughter is out of the house, embarking on the next chapter in her future, I can't help but imagine what will be in the coming year; particularly, in a year from now.

First, I hope the global pandemic is on a solid downturn, that people have been able to control it through social distancing and masks, or that a vaccine has been found, tested, and is being distributed. I miss my family and friends and look forward to the time when we can socialize more freely.

I hope that it becomes safe to travel and that foreign countries are welcoming to tourists. On September 18—this Friday—DW and I were supposed to travel to Europe. We had our flights booked and our accommodations reserved. Now, none of that is happening. I hope that in another year, we'll be able to re-book our flights and hotels, and can do what we had planned to do this fall.

A year from now, if all goes to plan, our other child will be heading off to university in the program that she's been working towards for the past several years. I hope that this year, her final year in high school, is set up to help her succeed. If all goes to plan, she will leave DW and I as empty-nesters. It will be quiet in the house.

A year from now—perhaps sooner—DW and I will be debt-free. No mortgage, no car payments. We'll be able to properly plan for our retirement, though that won't be for several more years. Maybe, by the time I reach 60.

Already, DW is looking for a 10-year plan. Will we sell our house, buy something smaller, on one floor, in one of the outlying towns? Will we stay in Ottawa and just get a smaller place, such as a condo? Will we invest in a place now, where we can rent out, and then take over when we can no longer look after our existing home?

Years ago, DW and I joked that we would liquidate our assets and travel the world, working as professional house-sitters. We would look after someone's home while they were, themselves, travelling elsewhere.

I've talked about switching careers, about finding a house that I could convert into a photo studio, each room providing a different setting or backdrop. I could rent out the various studios (belonging to a photo meetup group, I know that we are always looking for studio space).

The future holds so many possibilities, each with a new and exciting path. But it starts with the next year, and what that holds in store.