52 Weeks of Blogging With A Purpose: My Life 5 Years From Now

I discovered this inspiration from one of my followers (Janelle at Wild Blue Yonder).  I have plenty of my own stuff to share, but I fear all those things I wish to share are not necessarily what everyone wants to read.  So...  I thought I would join Janelle in participating in this blog event (inspired by Becky at From Mrs. to Mama).

Ah... Where will I be five years from now? 

As a MilSpouse I can confidently say that only God and the Air Force knows.  hahaha

Okay, seriously.  Since I cannot for sure tell you where I will physically be, and frankly, I am not sure I want to because I certainly do not want all you people getting there before me.  LOL  So, lets just go with the things I know for sure, and the things I hope will be in five years.

As you can tell, in my mid-30's, I have enough gray hair to be mistaken for an older woman.   (and I do, all the time...)  I do not mind, my gray hair is a testament to the struggles I have and am walking through- lessons learned, wisdom gained, failures and successes. 

First, I can confidently say that unless my Lord calls me home before then, I will be 40 years old.  Now, I know most women (and men for that matter) hate the "Big 0's" in their lives.  I remember all my peers fussing over turning 30, and I have some friends who have surpassed 40, 50, and even 60 years of age.  Many of them seem to think that aging into the next decade means they have magically appeared older, that their bodies are going to suddenly start to fall apart, that they are over-night less attractive to their significant other, and the list goes on and on.  For me, I have never been concerned about getting older.  It might be due to the fact that I tend to gravitate toward older men and women as people I can better relate to, find to be easier to talk to, and seek to learn from.  Maybe.  Or it might be because I simply do not care that I am aging.  Another birthday, outside of celebrating with the people I love the most, is simply another day.  I have never woken up on a birthday and felt older.  I have never woken up on a birthday, looked in the mirror, and suddenly thought to myself that I have instantly fallen apart at the seems.  No.  Birthdays- particularly the ones that have a zero at the end, do not concern me beyond the surreal feeling of realizing that I have been on this planet for x number of years and do not feel like it has been that long at all.

 

Second, I will be the mother of a teenager.  Now, compared to birthdays, the concept of being a mom to a teen scares the crud out of me! Certainly, I am not the first mom to feel apprehension over having a teen in the house, nor will I be the last.  However, if you read my previous post where I revealed my great reluctance and fears over being a Mom to begin with, you might appreciate my concern over this stage in my life as a Mom.  I have great faith that he will surpass my expectations even as he will test his boundaries at every turn.  I am certain he will prove himself to be both independent, dependable, atypical, and just as hormonal as any other teen that has ever lived.  Plus, I am fairly certain that any particular pain or worry or struggle that I forced upon my own parents will come back to haunt me in the form of his teenage adventures.  I hope and pray that the Lord leads me (and my Kiddo.) 

 

Third, I will still be wife to DH, much as he might wish to trade me in for two younger versions (as he jokes from time to time.)  He will not get rid of me that easy!  LOL  In five years, DH and I will have been married for fourteen years.  Well.... ACTUALLY... We will have been married for three and half years, since we were married on Leap Day in 2004.  (His idea... and no, he does not get out of remembering our Anniversary every year, in case you gents are thinking this is a great way to not get in trouble for forgetting your wedding anniversary.)  We make it a point to celebrate each other every year, but on every Leap Year, we plan a special trip, weekend getaway, or vacation for just the two of us to really celebrate our love for each other.  Year 14 won't be one of those years, but no matter what we do or where we are, I am eager to celebrate this life together with him.

Fourth, I certainly hope that I have my degree by then.  I started going back to school in hopes of gaining my Bachelor's in Environmental Science by the Winter of 2011.  Life happened, and that goal was pushed back to the Winter of 2012.   Life happened again, and now I have been forced to push the date back even further.  Granted, I could sacrifice other things so I could concentrate on school.  Getting my degree is very important to me as I am the first person in my family who has the means and the opportunity to do so.  However, in comparison to being Wife and Mom, gaining that degree is trivial to me when I think of the time I might be missing as my marriage grows, as my child grows.  If it comes down to it, the degree can wait.  I have never been career driven.  I do not understand it, and do not want it (which is probably why I will never get into a really "good" job, because I also am very blunt about the fact that my family will ALWAYS come first, even at the expense of job responsibilities.)

Fifth, I get to share with you the "when I grow up" blurb.  Regarding that degree, the one I want, but not THAT bad.  I do hope to someday work for the National Park Service or the Forestry Division.  I wish that might happen within the next five years, but as with the degree, so long as I feel like DH or the Kiddo need me home (or close to home) more, I will simply not take on that kind of job.  However, if I were able, I hope to be able to teach in a park setting.  I want to teach about creation, about the perfect balance in nature and how we can help protect, support, and preserve that balance.  I hope that I will have the opportunity to prove that God's hand is in every aspect of this world, and how nature proves it.

 

Sixth, in five years time, I hope to be an established author.  I love, love, love to write.  However, I also put that aside in regards to my family.  (Do NOT misunderstand... I do NOT regret putting myself last- that is simply part of who I am.)  Recently, I started writing a Bible Study for women associated with our Armed Forces.  Currently, its in limbo as we are moving, deciding, planning, and settling, and as my study materials are all in a crate somewhere until we move into a house.  However, I believe the Lord wishes me to write it, and it excites me to think He may open the doors to get it published.  Then there is my personal writing.  I am co-writing with an incredible author, plus I am writing a novel of my own.  I would be so thrilled and honored to see both of the books in print. 

Finally, in five years time, I hope that DH and I will have been able to instill in our Kiddo the love we have for our God, for our planet, and for our country.  I hope that, since he will be at that tender teenage year, we will have instilled in him the ability to think for himself, but also the ability to stand up for what is right, and the ability to stand firm in the midst of the "everyone else is doing it" mentality.  I hope in five years, that DH and I will have become more than parents to the Kiddo, that we will have become his mentors, his confidantes, and his closest friends.  I often tell the Kiddo now that I am not his friend, I am his Mommy.  However, in the world we live in, I truly do hope when he is surrounded by the teenage struggles that he can feel comfortable and confident in coming to us for help, advice, and an ear or shoulder.

I could speculate all day long about what my life might look like five years from now.  However, one thing I have learned, from even before being a part of the Military community, is that when I plan, God laughs.  Seriously.  He does!  None of my own plans have ever come to fruition in the ways I had hoped.  Every single time, I have been sent in a different, sometimes opposite direction.  Sometimes, those things I had planned for come about in a different way, at a different point in my life than I expected; sometimes I look back and see those plans were shot down permanently and replaced with His will that, in retrospect, was so much better than what I had planned for and hoped for.  (Duh!  Isn't that always the way?)  So, I will find this particular post interesting to read five years from now to see how my hopes have panned out, how my confident predictions have come through or not. 

Till then...  :)   God bless!