My Wish List…(Taking stock of a life past)

He had grown old by the standards of the time. Being seventy five years old in the year 2069 there was this sort of unprecedented atmosphere that you had outlived your purpose in this life. Ryke however did not see it that way; to him it was a new chapter to new beginnings. He had retired from active duty from his company a few years back amid rumors among the board that he was too frail for the day to day running of his business. That meant he could finally move from the big city Nai (as it was famously known among his peer back in the day when he had the energy to stay up all night) and he had always dreamed of retiring to the countryside.
Armed with only a backpack, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the city life, he only turned back once to have one last look at the city as his chauffeur switched lanes to join the highway that sort of led to his freedom.
Deep in the heart of maasailand in his small parcel of land he had a small stone walled house built but it was not his pride and joy so much so as compared to the manyatta that stood humbly at the back. He had the manyatta built with the same materials that were used originally by his ancestors. Among his many achievements throughout his life this was probably one that topped his list.
One evening walking down the path from the main house to the manyatta to enjoy his daily ritual of watching the sun set on his small three-legged stool resting his chin on his walking stick, lost in thought in faraway lands.
As time slowly went by, there was a bust of wind that blew and a piece of paper hit him on the leg. Cursing as he bent down to pick what seemed to be a small paper part of which was torn off and old and even this small piece had dog ears. As he unfolded it to look at its contents at that moment time stopped as he recognized what it was.
Fifty five years ago in a diary he had bought and even custom designed the cover with his initials on the back in the notes section he had made a list. A long list of all that being young at the time with the world at his feet he hoped to have accomplished before his time was up.
Now decades later resting on his hands was a piece of that paper torn off but the first four items on that list were still barely visible. They read in part:
1. To raise a family
2. To live a purposeful and healthy live
3. To have financial freedom (at the time it was a disguise for ‘to be filthy rich in future’)
4. To…
Tears welled up in his eyes as he finished reading part of what his whole life had been all about.
As he sat there now reminiscing on that list and the rest of it that probably had been lost forever, he turned it to a checklist of how he had lived. To what he had managed to achieve he made a mental tick and to what he had not yet achieved he made a cross.
That evening midst a spectacular sunset clenching that piece of paper in his hand did he have any regrets? No. In his entire life he had striven to achieve all that was within his power and the rest were not failures they were just unattained goals. Even a mountain climber is not considered a failure just because he did not get to the peak.
Life is all about those long lists we all have of things we hope to achieve. At the end of it all it’s not so much about how many things you managed to accomplish what is more important is whether you led a worthwhile life.
What is your wish list?