What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
Having a long life is a privilege, not a right.
Not everyone gets a long life, though there are many deserving people of it.
The concept of it is whimsical. We’re often told that to die “old and in our beds” is the way to go.
I agree and disagree to this testament. I agree in the sense that a long life is good if you truly live it, learn from it, and experience it. I agree that it is good if you can learn from your mistakes, pick yourself up with grace when you fall short of others as well as your own expectations and commit to being better every day. A long life is lovely if you allow life to be your teacher.
I disagree in the sense that a long life can be lonely if you allow yourself to get trapped in cycles, never take chances, and stick only to what you know. A long life can be repetitive and unyielding if you allow your failures the opportunity to thwart you from trying again. Life can be hard and unforgiving when patterns aren’t broken and you allow fear to dictate your decision.
Ultimately the concept of ‘a long life’ lies in each and every one of us. We are the authors of our stories. Some of us will die young and have extremely fulfilling experiences which make up for the lack of longevity; while some of us will live to a ripe old age and gain nothing from what life tried to teach them. However, the blessed few, will achieve both.
The only concept I put much stock in is hope. For hope is something that can never be taken from us and I hope my loved ones and I should be so lucky to be blessed with such meaningful longevity.
Are You There Friday? It's Me, Brittany. 
Being mentally healthy enough to be able to pick yourself back up every time, is also a privilege that many are not in possession of. I don’t like the world “failure.” Sometimes our so called failings in life were meant to be. Maybe we learned that, that path was not right for us. I prefer to call the bumps in the road an opportunity to learn.
And bumps in the road are one thing, but recovering from a hard life is another. I lack the gumption I once had. I do not want to get up and brush myself off anymore. I want to just be. I think it is a youthful outlook, and it is great to have all that energy to keep trying new things over and over. I’ve been there and done that, tho. My current dilemma is that I have lost the will to involve myself in life pursuits now. BUT, I am mostly content with where I am. Changes need to be made, but I don’t seem to care about goals anymore. I’ve completely gone the opposite of how I used to be. It’s so weird. But I am happy with reading and writing. I am happy with my trivial distractions for the time being. Thanks for reading my rambling thoughts.
I absolutely agree, I have good days and bad days with this mentality. This particular snapshot was on a good day. I understand and respect not liking the word “failure” & I do agree that somethings aren’t meant to be. I call them learning experiences usually but it’s human nature to fall short of perfection and I am not afraid to admit if I “failed” someone or something. Failures from another perspective can be lessons learned which you don’t get a chance to do over and do differently. I feel like my own gumption nowadays ebbs and flows. Hope sustains me most days. Today was simply a good day. Mental health can be fickle some days I feel I can take on the world and others I just want to stay in bed and sleep it away. Older I’ve gotten the more I compare my moods to ocean tides: some days I’m calm and relaxing and others I’m destructive to myself. It is strange I agree, because I used to be quite the social butterfly and now I go through antisocial phases much more than I used to. I appreciate your insightful thoughts and are of the firm belief that if you are content where you are then that is all that matters. All the best!
The longer I live, the more years I hope to have as long as I can be healthy enough to find some enjoyment in life.
Hey Reisa 👋🏻That’s a realistic attitude to have and finding enjoyment and meaning doesn’t need to be big or flashy either—if it makes you happy that’s all the matters.
That’s right. For me it is first of all to spend more quality time with family & friends.