Make Your Predictions For 2011 And Beyond
What Do You Predict For The Coming Year? Five Years? Decade?
Try this as an interesting activity for yourself and your friends and family: Give them paper and an envelope (fancy paper is fun but not necessary). Have them write predictions for themselves, others, the country, the world or anything else they want to predict about. You may want to limit the time allowed to develop predictions (that tends to keep it a bit more light-hearted and less somber work). Then, have them seal the envelopes for opening a year from now or longer.
For a real test of patience, suggest they give the envelopes to you to be returned five or even ten years from now. That might seem too long, but if you can manage to resist the temptation to open them early, you’ll enjoy them tremendously later–although they may create some melancholy as well. I know that for a fact.
Predictions made in 1971: In 1971, Detective Ed O’Dea, Detective Rand Hendrickson and I were talking about what we thought would happen in the future. Ed had a rather dismal view (he was a nice man but pessimistic about everything) and I said he would be wrong. So, we wrote our predictions for 2001 and I said I would keep the envelope. I honestly hadn’t expected to keep it. I think all of us thought of it as a joke for the moment.
Sadly, both Ed and Rand passed away long before 2001–Ed of a heart attack and Rand from a brain tumor. But I still kept the envelope and I didn’t open it until mid-January, 2001.
Ed’s predictions: These were based on his feelings about how the country was going to heck with all the Hippies taking over Denver and the rest of the country. “By 2001 the United States will have gone the opposite of now and we will have a police state with lower crime rates, more prisons and more respect (fear) for authority. It will be bad for the country, but it’s because of what we’re allowing now. Also, I predict Steve Kern will be Chief of Police by 2001.”
(Steve Kern was a detective who worked with us. He became a Division Chief and was a fine man always, but he didn’t become the Chief.)
Rand’s predictions: “I’ll be retired by then so I won’t care what is happening on the DPD. I’ll retire as a Lieutenant and move to the mountains. I think the U.S. will still be fighting in Viet Nam until 1980, then have to leave without winning. I predict all cars will be electric by 2001.”
(Rand became a sergeant before he left the police department in the 1980s to work in another career.)
My predictions: “By 2001 I’ll be having fun somewhere, probably in Arizona. I’ll have a successful career here and make rank, then write about my experiences. Denver will double in population. Mike O’Neill will be the Chief of Police by 1990.”
(Mike O’Neill became a Division Chief and certainly would have been a great Chief of Police, but didn’t get to that spot. Denver is still in the 500K range in population. I’m not in Arizona, and although my life is satisfying, it’s not “fun” as I envisioned it then.)
Predictions for 2011 and beyond: I’m sorry to say none of our predictions were cosmic in significance–although that is partly because we literally jotted them down in a few seconds on a scrap of paper. Tomorrow I’m going to take the time to make some personal and non-personal predictions and put more thought into them than I did in 1971.
Give that a try for yourself–and get your family and friends involved. Each person can keep their own envelopes or someone else can be designated as the keeper. I’m glad Ed and Rand asked me to keep theirs because I enjoyed reading them!
So………….what do you predict for a year from now? Five years? Ten years? What do you predict for your family? What do you think a car will cost in 2020?
Predictions for 2041: To show you how optimistic I am—I’m going to predict for 30 years from now and am looking forward to opening the envelope then. Well, maybe with some help from my boyfriend at the time!
Dear Tina, my youngest daughter is rounding up the supplies as I write this. Since she is in charge, she has decided to give everyone time during the morning to think about it, then we’ll put next year’s predictions in one envelope and five year predictions in another one. She was impressed that you saved an envelope for thirty years and may try that too. I encouraged 20 years instead, thinking it more likely I would be able to share the fun.
You’re in my prayers today, tonight and tomorrow (especially if you are driving). I don’t know the future, but I do know who holds it in His hands.
Comment by Don R. | December 31, 2009
Great idea! I’m going to do it and hope I remember where I hide the envelope! C.
Comment by C.H. | December 31, 2009
Tina says: Thanks Don and C.H. for your comments!
An idea for the envelope: Put it in a Christmas decorations box. You’ll be sure to find it next year and you won’t be likely to see it before then.
Comment by TLR | December 31, 2009
I predict I will be single and happy in 2010. My soon to be ex will be married and I predict her new husband will be unhappy.
Oops, did I say that? Sorry!
All I want in this new year is a chance to start again. I don’t expect everything to be hunky-dory, but I’m sure hoping for some peace of mind (not a piece of someone else’s mind 24/7). On December 31, 2010 I predict I will look back and say it was a good year. Tina, you never fail to bring a smile or to make me stop and think. Happy new year!
Comment by The Wizard | January 2, 2010
Tina, what an awesome idea! I’m going to try this at work with my team!
When I graduated high school, someone gave me a kit similar to this. It had questions, both open-ended and with choices, about a variety of things. The idea was you would give the questionnaires out to your family and friends and they would predict where you would be in 10 years. My family and friends actually did this for me, and when I opened them I laughed so hard…especially about the person whom I would marry (everyone was wrong, including me, and boy, am I glad!).
Comment by Jennifer | January 2, 2010
Hi! I had a hard time with this. Everything I wanted to predict sounded more like positive affirmations. Like, “I predict I will weigh XXX lbs.) I had better luck predicting for other people or for the world!I predicted my sister would have something happen that would make her really, really happy this year. Now she thinks I’m a psychic and she’s all excited. I guess that’s not so bad!! 🙂
Comment by denisek | January 2, 2010
Tina says:
Wizard: Keep the faith! Focusing on the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of your life will keep you busy AND bring happiness and peace of mind. Keep me informed about how you’re doing.
Jennifer: How fun to have those predictions from your family! Isn’t is strange how life can take us down paths we never expected–and often they turn out so much better than we had planned?
Denise: I think you did a wonderful thing by making such a good prediction for your sister! As for affirmations, the best way to word them is as a predicition, so that was good too. See how effective you have been??? Let me know the wonderful thing that happens in your sister’s life!
Comment by TLR | January 2, 2010
Wow. Lots of memories. My thoughts were, that I never thought, or planned where I would be today.So many years from that time when we were younger. But amazingly enough we have all come full circle, and our paths cross once again.I wish you all the best for 2010 my friend! May we all look at the past and take comfort and laugh at things that were not as they appeared, but shaped our lives. I wonder where all of our paths will cross again!
Comment by Bill B | January 7, 2010
I remember where Ed, Rand and you were working when you wrote those predictions. You were all part of Shaugnessy’s group if I recall correctly and he was a tough person to work for. He had a lot of enemies but looking back, he was right about a lot of things and was a pretty good judge of people. His biggest problem was he was vindictive to his enemies and that covered a lot of ground.
Anyway, someone told me to read this and I’m glad I did because it reminded me of some people I hadn’t thought about in awhile. You sure are doing some great work and I wish you the best! S.
Comment by Oldie | January 7, 2010
A bunch of us were at breakfast and someone mentioned this article of yours. I didn’t know you had a website like this, but it’s quite a production I can see. I remember Ed O’Dea and liked him a lot. I didn’t know Rand very much. I remember thinking you wouldn’t last more than a few months on the job. So much for my predictions. I was glad to see you hold your own no matter what and do so well. Keep up the good work, you’ve always been great representative for the DPD.
Comment by DPD Dinosaur | January 7, 2010
I see some other guys beat me to this. We were talking about you at an old retirees breakfast and said you showed everyone you could make it. I’ve always admired you Tina, and am proud to say I watched you succeed. I’ll be sure to read your website, although I’m glad I’m not working anymore to really need it! Semper Fi!
Comment by Lt.? | January 8, 2010