Day 356 What Shall I Do?

 

12/22/2025

"If you lives to be a hundred, I want to live to be

a hundred minus one day, so that I never

has to live without you."

Winnie the Pooh

 

Feeling somewhat mischievous I asked Google a question: "At the age of 75 I want to do something extraordinary with my life, what should I do?" Quite honestly, I didn't think Google capable of giving me an answer, but I was somewhat surprised, considering the way AI is going these days, attempting to take  over the thinking part for human beings. Think about that word "human beings." Thinking about an artificial intelligence mechanism doing my thinking is pretty bizarre and frightening. Civilization must advance and yet at what cost?

The response I received in part was:

"At 75, doing something extraordinary means finding deep fulfillment by blending your passions with purpose: mentor someone with your life skills, learn something new (language, instrument, art) to keep your brain sharp, travel adventurously, or create a legacy through writing/art, all while prioritizing community, physical health, and mindful presence to truly savor each moment."  

I must say that response was unexpected, however, it was also thought worthy. I actually have mentored someone, but it was many years ago when I was much younger. I taught a young teenage mother of two, pregnant with the third how to design arts and crafts to sell to support her children, while trying to help her understand that her choices were not the best. She learned artistic skills very well, but as for the life skills, of that I am uncertain. 

I do desire to learn to speak Hebrew so I can be ready when Christ returns to establish His kingdom on earth. More than that though, I want to learn to speak the language of the people and nation I love. But then, I love a great many people, all in fact, so I could spend the remainder of my years learning how to speak up for others in their native tongue. Thought worthy in fact. I have been brushing up on my Spanish, so that I can once more speak fluently and write the same, yet I am seeing that the words are different from when I learned how to speak in my earlier years. Still, I have accomplished my goal of sentence structure, with the hope that once more I can be called upon to translate. Surprisingly I have used my skills in translation of a usage manual for a piece of medical equipment when I was 18 years old. And when I was a case manager, I had Spanish-speaking only clients, who always seemed to understand what I was asking. Perhaps one day that skill will be useful again.

I keep my brain sharp by reading, playing Spider Solitaire and other games that keep my mind active and competitive. I used to be so good at spelling, but it seems as if the last blow to my head has caused some learning defects that I am trying to correct. The noise in my head from the accident is a deterrent, but I am tenacious, and I will not give up the challenge and the struggle. Things could be much worse, and I do well to remind myself of that fact! I am grateful for the ability to move past these hindrances in life, as I have had so many. Finally, I am learning how to bring my mind into the restful peace that God intends we as believers should demonstrate. We have the Prince of Peace as our companion, so we must furiously contend for the faith.

Travel adventurously! Now that's something I would love to do, but I simply do not have the funds to put into active travel, plus I have new home responsibilities that prevent me from going far away at this time. But one day...perhaps. Depending on Christ's return and how He wants me to spend the remainder of the years He has given me. The scriptures say: "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalm 90:12). 

The final piece of advice is to create a legacy through writing and art. The fact that I am still pounding out daily blogs on this the 356th day of 2025 must be proof that I am trying with all my heart to "write the story," although finding the message in the story has been difficult for me at times. Some days the thoughts and words flow, and other days I am stuck in that same ole miry clay. I am somewhat skeptical of my writing abilities, while my greatest literary mentor decided to pass from this life to the next. She wasn't a writer, but she greatly encouraged me to follow God's commands to do so. 

So in conclusion the Google AI or search engine was helpful in telling me everything I already knew or tried. And I imagine it was a bit of encouragement to me to understand that while I may feel as if my life is somewhat dull and without merit, perhaps that's not definitively true. I'll think about it more tomorrow, as Scarlett O'Hara so aptly responded to questions she had no intention in answering. But then, I'm not Scarlett! So until the next day, I leave you with this wise saying: