Today's fortune: September 29, 2011

Today's fortune: You will have a bright future.

I'm not sure when it was that my dreams of a bright future died.

I don't say that to be a downer. I don't really believe I have no future. It's just that when I was younger, I always thought I'd do something great with this little ol' life. I thought I'd be a famous baseball player, or a world-renowned architect, or even the President of the United States. Something remarkable. Something that would make people remember me. But some years ago, I gave up that dream. I no longer expect my life to mean anything to the masses.

And I'm totally okay with that. I'm focusing on being a good husband, a good widget-maker, a good cat-father, and eventually, maybe, a good human-father. And honestly, if I can do all those things, my future will be bright, and my life will mean something to the people who mean the most to me.

At work today, I took a step toward a bright future with Acme Co. Occasionally, the company offers employee development sessions aimed at grooming future leaders. I attended one today, this one focusing on the company's values and how they apply to becoming an Acme leader. It was informative, and I think I learned from it. My future is a little brighter. Also, several people have encouraged me to re-apply for that gig I was talking about earlier in the week the next time it comes around. I haven't decided yet, but I might.

I do still have dreams of a bright future beyond Acme Co. My dream future, of course, is to support myself as a writer. If I could sleep 'til noon, wake up and eat lunch, watch The Peoples Court, write for an hour to pay the bills and then read until Jamie gets home from work... man, that's livin' the dream. Maybe it will happen someday, or at least some version of that. Or maybe not. It doesn't matter, really. The brightness or dimness of the future is unknowable, which is what makes this life worth living.