Get in shape, mentally. That doesn’t mean to try to become a super genius. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are still the most powerful mental tools in the human mind. So, practice by reading everything you can find, write just for yourself. Build jigsaw puzzles. Play games of all kinds. Solve simple math problems in your head. Get your mind ready.
Get in better physical condition. That won’t require you to to become a sleek, slender, perfectly toned, beach-worthy god or goddess. Just increase your stamina. Walk. When you go to the store, park a little farther from the door with each new visit. Do some repetitive light lifting, just your legs, only your shoulders. March in place, and swing your arms. Sweat. It’s all good for you, good for your future, and good for creating the version of yourself, whether beanpole or full-figured, who can stare a rewarding challenge in the eye and make it blink.
Welcome to your own future. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. That’s not a rule, just the way of the universe. Beyond the cost in money, building a home for yourself and those you love and care for will probably be the most difficult, most demanding, most time and energy consuming thing, ever. But the challenges will be completely overshadowed by that one word, ‘worthwhile.’ The joy of celebrating special events, quiet moments of reflection for a job well done, powerful moments when one momentous success becomes a springboard for others, energetic moments when you get to say, “Come on over to my place,” those all happen in just one special place.
Getting their will call on every fiber of muscle, every bit of intellect, all your energy, all your heart, your mind, your concentration, and especially you commitment. To make it to the worthwhile end will require a mind tuned to move and respond fast and accurate, and a body toned for bending, lifting, planning, driving, and working without tiring.
It will be your profound challenge to outlast the mental distractions caused by endless hours of dreaming, planning, shopping, pricing, negotiating, and arguing; and to recognize mistakes when they occur, and solutions when they appear. Physical conditioning will be required to help work through fatigue when the urge to quit is beckoning, to endure times when ‘outrunning the storm’ is more reality than allegory, and when just a brief time of self deprivation is the only obstacle left before you finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, the one light you should run to, HOME.
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