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.

Facebook: Friend or Foe?

I am a Facebook addict.  I have tried to "kick the habit" and even went off line for several days. And by several, I mean three. Okay, two and a half. Anyway, the point is that I still regularly log in, both on my computer and via my phone.  On my phone I tend to focus on alerts from close friends and updating my own status or uploading photos. On the computer, however, I find myself  scrolling through the newsfeed and refreshing constantly for new comments, notifications, any information that I can use as a distraction, and (guilty pleasure confession) playing games. I chastise myself for wasting time with it and yet I continue to incorporate it into my daily routine.

Over the past several years, my use of Facebook has evolved almost as much as its privacy policies.  At first, I almost exclusively reported that I was "working" or "should be working but playing Farmville instead." Since then, after  a combination of deeper psychological probing ("what's on your mind?"), an exponential increase in my number of associates ("friends") and family drama, I decided to incorporate a greater purpose to my contributions to the site.  For example, I started a page for my favorite Simmental cow Lisa, in which she posts periodic updates about life on the farm from her perspective. Writing for Lisa allows me to use Facebook as an educational tool to promote agriculture as well as practice to sharpen my writing skills.

Beyond my posts, I have connected with people from all areas of my life. As a result, I have been inspired and educated. For starters, several people have enlightened me to various weight loss tools or shared their personal journeys which I find motivating. I discovered My Fitness Pal through Facebook and I cheer on friends making healthy decisions for themselves through programs like Weight Watchers. I've also seen some neat agricultural promotions along with general quotes and sentiments that stimulate my mind. Occasionally professional information and job leads are available.

Bottom line: Facebook can be a foe but it can be a friend. It's all in how you use it, I guess.  In the grand scheme of things I may regret spending so much time on Bejeweled Blitz (even if I did torch it up for over a million points), but there are people who would not be in my life at all if it weren't for social networking. Besides enjoying those renewed friendships, I hope to continue to utilize it in the most positive and beneficial manner possible for both my weight loss struggle and agricultural advocacy, or "agvocacy".  Granted it would be a bit easier if everyone chose to be more positive in their posts but life is meant to be full of challenges, isn't it?

Inspiration in the strangest places

For me, this photograph represents finding something unique in something fairly ordinary.  If you must know what it is before reading any more, scroll to the bottom of the blog entry.  But today, I saw this and decided to capture it with my camera because I saw something abstractly beautiful.  

As a hobby photographer, I am always seeking the "Kodak moments" that surround me.  Usually, it is in the landscape around me, but sometimes I see them in animals and people (especially in relaxed, natural poses and actions). I love looking out off the back porch and watching the sunset each night because it is always beautiful and always, always different.  And of course, I love unexpected artistic moments like the one above.

Photographs are not the only creative endeavors for which I seek and find unexpected inspiration.  As I returned from morning errands, and had my Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Greatest Hits blaring away on the car's sound system, my mind wandered to a future blog entry topic.  This type of behavior is exactly why I  have NO desire to text while I drive. Anyway, it was the first time I can recall the Heartbreakers being able to single-handedly turn on the faucet of my creative juices so hopefully I can turn to them again when I need help (or just need to hear "American Girl" one....more....time....).

As for the above picture?  Beet juice in a stainless steel kitchen sink.