The Very Weird Thing I’ll be Doing this Leap Day
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
~ Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
I’ve never really paid attention to Leap Days in the past. Oh sure, I’ve watched the Amy Adam’s movie. And when I was eight, I fantasized about asking David Cassidy to marry me, and him not being able to say no. (Oh, and I would have taken Shaun, in a pinch. I wasn’t fussy.)
And when I was younger, and in a job I hated, I resented the extra day of work. Couldn’t we just leave February with 28 days and be done with it?
But now, I’m looking at this extra day as a bonus. Oh sure, work still needs to be done and errands run, but there is something inside of me that longs to do something different: to take this bonus day and refuse to let it march by.
In sixth grade, our teacher, Mrs. Lawrence, had us write letters to our future, eighteen-year-old selves. I was so surprised to get that letter from my parents. It was full of hope and excitement from eleven-year-old me, and it served as a reminder at eighteen, when I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders as I was making decisions about my future. I’d learned a lot, I had a lot of people in my life who loved me, and that I had a great capacity for hope.
So I’m going to recapture a little of that this Leap Day.
I’m going to send my future self a letter. My Leap Day 2020 (doesn’t that sound so futuristic, like we’ll all be flying around in cars that year?) self.
This will not be a list of goals that I should have accomplished, but a list of things that I’m learning. My hopes and my dreams.
Things I’m planning on including:
- Bible verses that are meaningful to me this year.
- The way I feel about my relationship with Roger.
- Why I’m proud of my kids.
- My thoughts about how I’m growing as a person, and where I hope to be in 2020.
- Who I hope I’m growing into.
No – it’s not a list of goals, but it is some ideals that I want to become. I know, that just by writing them down, I have a much greater chance of seeing them realized than if I just keep them in my head.
I don’t know how this is going to turn out. It could be a colossal waste of time. Or it could just turn out to be something pretty fantastic.
If this is something you want to try, head on over to https://www.futureme.org/ and write yourself a letter. And perhaps let your kids write one too. How fun would that be?
Give your future self something to look forward to.
Speaking of giving yourself something to look forward to…
Have you gotten a ticket to an upcoming Finally Clutter Free event yet? I’ll be in Merced, CA this weekend and Modesto, CA on March 5.
Get more information and links to get your tickets here.
