Thursday, August 7, 2014

A To-Do List for 2020...from 1992

Sifting through my belongings, I found writing from my elementary school days. In the fifth grade, I received a writing prompt that asked where I would be in the year 2020, which was 28 years away.  The following is what I chose to write: 
"In the year 2020 a.d., I will be married with 5 children. Their ages will be 10, 12, 14, 16, 18. I will probably have 2 boys 3 girls.
I will be a very busy person. I will be a Girl Scout leader Mondays from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. and I'm a 4-H leader on Fridays also. I teach piano lessons Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesdays I'm an assistant coach for the girls' high school basketball team. Like I said, I'm a very busy person.
I also work for a very famous company. I am secretary and work from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. week-days I make $255,000 a year. I will be living in Omaha, Nebraska by the Missouri river.
Since I don't work on week-ends, that is when we have family outings. Occasionally, we might go down to the river and take a dip. And sometimes in the winter, we'll go down to Colorado for a ski week-end.
Some people think I am free-spirited and young for 39. The also think I look young for 39, also.
I would like to add that around my home, the air is fresh, the sky is blue and the grass is green.
This may not happen to me, but this is what I hope will happen to me in the year 2020 a.d."

First of all, the five kids? With specific ages and genders? Those five ships have pretty much sailed. Secondly, you can guess my childhood activities: Girl Scouts (yes, they were on Mondays), piano lessons (Tuesdays), 4-H and basketball. I'd love to find a company that can afford $255K for a secretary - which I think might be a bit steep, even if inflation balloons in the next few years. I have no idea why I decided to locate myself in Omaha, Nebraska, unless I had recently researched it prior to the prompt. I'm not sure about taking dips in the Missouri, but I like the idea of occasional trips to Colorado, even if I've never skied. 

I love the fact that I'll be a "free-spirited" and youthful-looking 39.  

On a more serious note,  I'm not as far off from what my 11-year-old self envisioned. My environment is beautiful - fresh air, blue sky, and green grass. Occasionally, I wade into the Sebasticook River, I'm involved in a few agricultural organizations and I help coach the softball team. I worked as a secretary once, at about a tenth of the salary. I learned it wasn't for me, though.

I knew when I grew up that I wanted to be involved in my community and surround myself with loved ones while living a balanced life. As an adult, I'd almost start with the free-spirited part, because right now my success is defined internally, with minimal measurement on the outside.

So today, in 2014, where do I see myself in 2020?

In 2020, I see myself as a confident young woman, looking to improve herself a little more each and everyday. Professionally, I plan to be a published writer, with possible income supplementation from working as a teacher. I see myself in a much healthier body, physically and emotionally.  Maybe I am married or in a committed relationship with a man who has kids, or we adopt kids, or maybe we decide not to be parents ourselves.  Regardless, I expect to be involved in the community, especially with youth sports.  I see myself participating in numerous 5K walks/races to raise funds for a variety of causes. If I'm incredibly lucky, I'll still be butting heads with my mother about the cows, or worrying that she is doing far too much manual labor. Finally, I want to be maintaining friendships with my lifelong friends, sharing joys with them and helping heal during the sorrowful times, too. If finances allow, I'll travel and enjoy new experiences. If finances aren't so bountiful, I will stay put...and find new experiences to enjoy.

I suppose I could write a more detailed outline of where I will be and how I will get there, yet that has never been my style and I am pretty happy with the person I am and most of my style. It's the free-spirited part that I can work on, and I'm happy 11-year-old Me reminded the 33-year-old me of that.