Day 22/30: Hopes for the future (5 years, 10 years, 15 years)

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Photo courtesy MegWhitePhotography

As you know, I've been doing the Cherishing Hopes 30 Thing challenge. I'm on Day 22 and let me just tell you, it's been a bit of a bumpy ride. Some of the posts have been so fun to write, some have been lackluster and unexciting. I realized this morning though that that is the point of these writing exercises- to get me to find a creative way to make boring topics FUN. So, lesson learned and I think I'm ready to tackle that challenge head on! Except I logged in today and wouldn't you know today's topic is FUN.

The prompt is "where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?"

Now, I love planning but I HATE making plans. Ironic, right? You know that saying "Life is what happens while your busy making plans"? Well, trust me, it's true. I feel like life loves to throw me curve balls and watch me play hopscotch trying to avoid getting hit smack dab in the face. Gotta keep me on my toes, right?

But ideally-

In the next five years,  I hope to do some traveling. Lately, I've just felt like there was a lot of world that I still wanted to see and a lot of adventures I still need to have. I get complacent pretty easily and I'm basically just craving a new big adventure. What's life without a little excitement, right? Expect some huge things to be marked of that bucket list of mine!
I would LIKE to get married. Shut the front door, I know. It's not a have to-do, I will be happy even if I don't get married until I'm 70 (although, boy, you better be awesome since I had to wait that long!) but in my ideal world, Homegirl would be hitched by 30.
Let's be completely frank here- I hate babies. Yep, there, I said it. I hate them. I swear my friends have the cutest babies I have EVER seen and I see adorable pictures on Facebook and think "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad..." and then I remember the crying, the pooping, the responsibility of literally teaching them EVERYTHING they need to know, and the fact that you could easily scar them for life with one wrong moment and I think "Nope. No. No thank you!" Okay, so that is a slight over exaggeration. I'm not completely opposed but they have never been a part of the "plan". What has always been a part of the plan, is that I would love to eventually adopt a KID (not baby) from the foster care system. It's one of those things I've always felt strongly about. During my internship, I was constantly getting new roommates or switching apartments to make room for new interns and I HATED IT. I never felt like I could settle, I felt like everything was temporary. I never knew who I'd be living with next, what the energy of the place would be, and I found it really hard to adjust in that environment. That's what I imagine foster care to be like and I can not imagine growing up in that environment. I can't decide if adopting is part of the 5 year plan or 10 year plan. When I say "I want this in 5 years" it sends me into a bit of panic- THAT IS SO SOON! So we will just leave it on the list for someday.

In ten years, I hope to be settled in somewhere. Maybe just outside of a city, so it's quiet but their is easy access to lots of fun things! Somewhere it rains a lot, perhaps? I hope to be published (I'm working on a collection of short stories!) but I also hope to have built up a pretty good clientele as an event planner. That stuff really isn't that important though. I hope that I'm happy. That's basically it.

In fifteen years, I'd like to still be writing, still be planning, hopefully still be married (or still waiting for the "One"), with a super cute son. I hope that I have the sort of family that takes family vacations all over the world. I want my future kid to be very cultured. I want them to understand that while they decide what is right for them, they can't decide for others. I want them to accept that there is a huge world out there filled with tons of people who do things different or think differently, and that that is a beautiful thing that is meant to be celebrated not rejected.

But that's the "plan" and we all know how well plans work out. Mainly, I'm most excited for the little curve balls I can't plan for. Life is all about the journey and whatever is supposed to play out will and all those little bumps are just fun little challenges that help me grow and learn.  I am ready for all the surprises, the messes, the less than perfect moments, I'm most excited about those because I can't anticipate them.

So, come on, Life- what'll it be? YOU tell ME.

Where do you see yourself in 15 years?