I’m not even sure I’m spelling that word correctly. I’ve been fascinated with the concept ever since I heard there was a college degree in the study of the future. People who think big picture, many years into the future, who get jobs doing that - how cool! The concept was brought home to me again recently because of comment made by the remarkably dumb (sorry, that’s the only word I can use that’s socially acceptable) Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education. To quote her dumbness:

“You can’t plan for something that hasn’t happened.”

Well, yeah, you can. Don’t we all plan ahead to pay our taxes? To change the oil in our car before the engine seizes up? I could go on and on, but you get the point. Thinking ahead to make plans is called being an adult.

I’ve been reading some post - apocalyptic fiction recently. Nora Roberts and Justin Cronin have shoved me into thinking about “what if?” While I’m a pretty detail oriented person, the sheer magnitude of prepping for the end of the world as we know it is pretty daunting. Food, I can do. Bedding, fuel source, grills, creature comforts are all in my wheelhouse. What I’m stumped by is: how do you decide what kind future society will evolve? Personally, I’d like to live with people who share, are kind to others, and who work hard. Utopia, in other words.

Based on my reading, I have a lot of work to do. Life as we knew it is over, I fear. This Covid 19 will be with us a long time, and we had better plan for a future we never expected. I’m going to start making lists - my forte. Future, here I come!