The other day, a writing friend said it was hard for him to
write to an unknown future.
I offered that the future,
by definition, is unknown.
“But with all that is going on, it’s hard to plan,” he said.
True.
My suggestion, which is also what I do, is plan anyway.
There’s a
paraphrasing of an old Islamic Hadith, said by Martin Luther King Jr., “Even if
I knew the world is going to end tomorrow, I would plant a tree."
Works for me.
What does this
mean in real life context? I’m writing, while making sure we have enough toilet
paper for the next who-knows-what. I can’t plan for every shortage, so if the
next one will center on hairnets, tea or open-toe sandals, I may not have a sufficient
stash. But I will have toilet paper, and also writing paper, and enough sense
to know that there’s never a better time to plant a tree.
Onwards.
