Hi me,
You'll never read this since you're me in the past, but I kind of felt I had to write this in case they ever invent a time machine, and this message can somehow be conveyed to you. So, if you ever manage to read this, Elon Musk’s gazillionth startup somehow succeeded and we now have viable time-travel technology.
Anyways, I just wanted to give you a few tips, since I’m a bit older than you are and have accumulated substantial life experience which you unfortunately lack.
Tip number one: maybe go easy on the whole work-till-you-drop-dead thing. I know it’s popular right now - going on chasing your career goals and ‘working on’ your LinkedIn profile and having a can-do attitude. But somewhere down the line, this will come out of fashion. Something called burnout will become a thing and you won’t be able to sleep, your brain will turn into mush from all the emails and screen time and you’ll be googling digital decompression every night. In a couple of years work-life balance is going to become trendy and your 90-hours-a-week démodé. Something called hygge and friluftsliv and fika are going to enter your life. I still haven’t figured out what hygge is exactly, but I think it includes you buying a nice rug, a matching pullover, grabbing a hot cup of cocoa and staring out of the window for a couple of hours. Anyways… I suggest you take it easy, take care of yourself and maybe take a few more days of vacation instead of going for that big bonus they keep dangling in front of you.
Tip number two: get out of the house more. Seriously. I know there are a lot of things on the Internet and yes, it’s all soooo interesting: from the interior design on Pinterest, the economics opinion page in The Wall Street Journal, the recipes on Yummly to the endless Wikipedia articles on the Swedish export industry. But trust me here, you don’t need to read or watch all that because in two years time you won’t remember a damn thing. Nada, zip, zilch. The more information you process and try to store in that brain of yours - the less you’ll remember. So, my advice is to leave the house, go for coffee with friends, go walk your dog (yes, you’ll get a dog), go jogging or swimming or your friend’s photo exhibition and stop staring at that screen. This also goes for your phone. Just leave it at home. ‘Cause when you’re 75 years old you won’t be sorry that you haven’t spent more time with your phone. I promise you this. Oh and yes, please take up some sports. I don’t care which one, just pick some. I know you don’t feel like it right now, but you’ll be sorry that you didn’t. It’s much harder to lose weight now that I’m 70 and in these slick Lycra suits they have us wearing it’s kind of hard to conceal your weight.
Number three: take more trips. Even if you disregard the first two points (knowing you, this is exactly what you’re going to do), don’t skip on the third point. Go everywhere you possibly can. Travel to Greenland and the Maldives while you still can. And if you want me to save you a decade of searching for the most relaxing place on Earth – you should go visit this lovely little Tuscanesque region in Croatia. It’s called Istria and it has outstanding cuisine, beautiful scenery, great locals, picturesque towns and first-class wineries. I hate to break the news to you - but wineries ceased to exist in the future, since climate change virtually wiped out the grapevines - so if I was you, I’d go and visit as many as possible while they’re still around. (Also, note to my younger self: stock up on wine, these bottles will be worth a fortune in the future). And keep in mind, while you’re reading this, Istria is still pretty affordable, which will not be as true in the near future. Now that it has become the home of Hollywood celebs and Indonesian crypto entrepreneurs, I wish somebody told me about this magical place thirty years ago while I could still afford an Istrian villa myself.
Number four: indulge yourself. Yes, splurge on yourself. Go and rent a villa. A big villa. Take your friends. Take your family. Take your lover. Hell, marry your lover in a breathtaking villa in Dubrovnik. Rent a villa with a pool. Have a barbecue and soak up some sun while you still can. It’s going to come as no surprise to you that sunbathing is not that fun in the future. Now we mostly sit at home surrounded by three AC’s or we spend our day in community resilience pods. Also, try renting a nice villa by the seaside with a great view or go to a beach. If you don’t know which ones – this will help. So will this. If you’re not into beaches, take a guide and go check out some amazing places like Rovinj or Grožnjan or Dubrovnik or Split. I know you don’t drive but you can take a concierge service and they’ll do the driving. Don’t worry – in the future we have autonomous vehicles so the social stigma of not knowing how to drive won’t last very long.
Number five: take care of the environment. I’m serious. All is not lost. Your choices do kind of matter in the end, so make conscious ones. Try skipping that steak dinner from time to time. Get an electric car. Or maybe even get rid of the car altogether. If you travel, try staying in one place for a longer period of time. Try a monthly rental and get to know the place. Explore the local scenery. Eat local. Grab a bike, go hiking. Buy produce from a local fisherman (yes, those still exist in Croatia). And pay attention to where you stay. Try staying with those hosts that are also eco conscious and travel with companies that give a damn about the environment. If this letter doesn’t make sense now – try re-reading it in 3 years time. Now turn off this screen, it’s time you took your dog for a walk.
The views and opinions about the future expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the official position of Escapian.
