When we're 80something

Tonight Collin and I sat at dinner talking about the future... something we seem to be doing quite often in recent months. We tend to have our spots where this happens. When we lived in Ada we would walk around Wintersmith Park and dream (and maybe worry a little) about what was headed our way. Now we, admittedly, go to Corino's for the same such ponderings. Anyway, back to tonight.

Here's what we decided: When we are 80something, looking back over our lives, we will probably not care so much about successes. Sure, getting multiple degrees, writing books, and working at a top tier institution sounds awesome. But, more likely, we'll be grateful for people. For relationships. Possibly for living next door to a dear friend for 30+ years (what do you say, J?) or for the way others have impacted our lives and we theirs. We decided we should approach our decisions about the future based more on these fruitful things than the other.

Then a few minutes ago I was reading through some Henri Nouwen. Here's the entry in "Bread for the Journey" for today:
There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame. Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another's wounds. Let's remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness.

Good stuff huh? Funny how the entry was exactly what we were talking about tonight. I don't know about you-- but I crave the true joy in life: family, community, intimacy.