Notes From a Transcender: My Future’s Future

Time is moving on.

I know this firsthand because it is quite obviously leaving me behind, and that’s set me to thinking.

I grew up deep in the heart of Texas in a family with an entrenched church-going tradition. In the heart of the “Bible Belt,” the implied premise of strolling through the luminous pearly gates into the luxurious everlasting life was not a particularly fertile ground for the questioner.

But I had a question — it began as an itch that became an idea that kept creeping into the realm of consciousness. It was fleeting at first but became a core belief in the only logical explanation, according to me.

Mine was not a background that embraced the idea, belief, or divine inevitability of reincarnation, but on the other hand, recycling is the only thing that really makes any sense.

So, after 80-plus years of muddling through a mundane, predictable life, I realized that if recycling is in my future, I probably ought to plan rather than continue my willy-nilly romp through the present; it was high time for me to start planning for my future’s future.

I began by identifying those qualities that inspire admiration and that I find appealing in others, and made a list.

First: I am fascinated by the resilient transcenders who surpass all reasonable expectations.

These are individuals who flourish anywhere and are undeterred by hostile conditions or by the hostile actions of others. They show up uninvited in new and unlikely places and become successfully established, not because they have connections or pedigree, but because they are strong and adaptable.

Second: I value the freedom-seekers who are not confined by the externally imposed boundaries. I have envied those who assume the freedom to drift, the freedom to settle in a new and unexplored territory, the freedom to choose new fields of endeavor.

Third: I honor the generous hearts of the modest benefactors who do not boast, but bloom where they are planted. How kind it is for them to leave bright bouquets along the road of life that cheer sad hearts and mark the way for others.

Fourth: I hold in highest esteem those who patiently share their knowledge. Those in the role of silent teacher whose greatest trait is pacing that accommodates the learner, whether quick or dull. With them, if the first attempt at mastery fails, they return again and again and yet again to provide one more chance to get it right.

Fifth: I respect the perseverance of those who “keep on keeping on” and are unafraid to start anew. Adversity does not squelch their drive, and if uprooted or displaced, they seem to be rejuvenated by the challenge.

Recycling holds the promise that I am destined to be reincarnated as a single entity in another time, in another place, with another task to fulfill. For that entity, there will be a second chance — a chance to become all it wants to be.

In reviewing my wish list, I realized that I want the future me to have all the traits and qualities of the resilient transcender, the freedom seeker, the benefactor, the patient teacher, and the one who perseveres undeterred by unwelcome adversity.

Through this serious assessment, I discovered that in my future’s future, I want to be a weed.

Carolyn Wiley lives quietly, for the most part, in Longbranch.