I dreamed about a litter of rambunctious puppies running all around, getting into places they shouldn’t be. Former President Biden was trying to corral them, but he wasn’t having much success.

Puppies in dreams generally have to do with animal energy, new things, and playfulness. But what did President Biden represent? Traditional politics and its limits? Older people trying to keep up with the demands of a changing world? Just another authority figure getting yapped at?

I decided to ask Fannie, my imaginary 119-year-old future self. I found her sitting on the “Be Kind” park bench in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which I mentioned in a blog post in 2022.

At her feet, Maxie the robot poodle realistically appeared to be dozing, with closed eyes and a tail that twitched a little. When I came closer, Maxie opened an eye but did not otherwise move. I sat down next to Fannie and told her about my dream.

“It’s a big job, trying to corral the future,” Fannie said sympathetically. “Politicians try, but they don’t get very far. We also put time and effort, as individuals, into sorting out what we think might happen. But mostly, the future just does whatever it feels like doing. That’s the way of things. We may get farther than we expect, though, if we can simply be kind and invite the future to spend a little time playing with us.”