Plans

When I was a little girl I had a vision of my future. Inspired by a particularly motivating episode of “Room 222”, I saw a snippet of my potential. Dressed in a short skirt, knee-high socks, leather shoes (I would alternate between Mary Janes and Loafers), a white top and blue button-down sweater the future me would cradle her books in the crook of her arm while going from class to class. That was it. That was my vision in full; books in the crook of my arm. I was so excited by this revelation I clearly recall sharing this prophecy with my friend Barbie as we walked to school.

Later, with the pressure of “what to you want to be when you grow-up” being asked by every authority figure in my life, I decided I would become a children’s book author/illustrator or a teacher. This felt like a better reply than “a crook book carrier”. It gave adults something they wanted to hear and I think for some time I really did believe this could be my future. I liked making up stories, drawing, and my teachers so why not turn it into my bread and butter.

By the time I reached high-school my plans for the future whittled down to making sure I knew what was happening for the up-coming weekend. I didn’t think about college, career, marriage, or the future at all. The funny fact is since high school, I have never really planned out what my life would be like. I have always just rolled with the flow. This doesn’t mean I am not organized. No, I am an expert short-term planner. You need the most efficient way to run your weekend errands, call me up. Have you been thinking about a vacation but not sure how to fill the time, I can help. You want to implement an organizational change, do strategic planning or problem solve, please, I can do that with one-hand tied behind my back. But I have never had a vision of where I needed to be in life at any stage.

Call it destiny, serendipity, coincidence, or divine intervention (or a combination of each); I think I have always been where I have been meant to be in life. I have made some mistakes along the way but for the most part I think I am reaching some level of personal potential. Reflecting on my life to this point, I can identify links, relationships and personality traits to see patterns that lead me to this place but never a direct plan. Maybe I should be afraid that I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Maybe I should question if I am normal or not. Maybe I should just embrace past me, when carrying a book in the crook of my arm was the ultimate definition of success.

Assignment: Did your life plans turn out the way you always dreamed? Share your stories.