Five Years from Now
I had lunch with a friend today and she posed the question "where do you see yourself in five years?". Nonwithstanding circumstances beyond my control and the God-directing factor, it is an interesting question to chew on. Where am I headed and am I doing anything intentional about getting there? Or am I living in the moment, with a day-by-day perspective and forgetting that those days add up to months, and those months add up to years, and if I’m not careful, five years will come and go without much input from me.
In five years, I will be 36 years old. I’ve never been one to be depressed about aging. In fact, every year is better than the one before – a pattern I expect to continue. However, I am notorious (no matter what you perceive about me) for not using my time wisely. All of the sudden the four months I had to prepare for the youth event have turned into four days much to my dismay. If I apply this all-too-common phenomenon to my life at large, will I discover on my 36th birthday, much to my dismay, that the last five years vanished without me doing anything with intention?
As I’ve thought about this "five years from now" question throughout the day, I appear to hover around two general ideas. The first is to leave room for the unexpected! I have no desire to return to predictability and calendared life accomplishments. Remember – I am taking an intense liking to the unexpected. I will resist the temptation to calculate the more general moments and experiences of my life so that I am free to ride life with reckless abandonment. The second is to spend some time in honest reflection about whether I am doing what my soul needs to be doing and if not, do I have the courage to do whatever it takes to be true to the needs of my soul? I can live with not knowing details and particulars. What I can’t live with is a life without kingdom consequence and personal integrity.
I have no idea if this is making any sense at all. It is 1 am and I tend to get a little philosophical late at night after living in my head all day. Thanks, Cari, for screwing up my day with a simple little question. Just kidding – I get energy from stuff like this. Yes, this is confirmation that I am sick and irreversibly skrewed – not that any of you needed further confirmation of this.
On a lighter note, my dad and Kailey’s dad made it safely to Lithuania. Now, its up to Eastern Europe to protect themselves from the influence of these two men. Good luck with that.
Peace – Melissa
5 Comments
Mel
OMGosh! I have 4 comments on a post. I could swear I just saw a pig fly by my office window.
I just want to say how BLESSED I am that you are BLESSING my website with your BLESSED comments. Forget it – I can’t compete with Kailey.
Cari – I think your “verbosity” is hot. (is that a word?) You and I will invent some great life-saving, life-enhancing product like “Airbrush: Spray on Pantyhose” and make millions. Then we can donate all of our time to good causes to make up for the product we introduced to innocent people while we robbed them blind.
Cari
I lied, Kailey used the word “bless” 8 times in her response!
Cari
Hey, I think I figured this thing out. Okay, gotta keep it short and sweet so I don’t get anymore snide comments about being too “wordy.” The least it could say is “verbose.” Anyway, sorry I caused you such deep thoughts, Mel. I don’t know where I want to be in five years, either. I know I want kids, either conceived the old fashioned way or adopted or both, but no idea about my career. Don’t really care either as long as I’m making money and don’t hate my job. (BTW, Kailey used the word blessed 6 times in her response. that has to be a record.)I guess technically I would like to be independently wealthy and able to do all the pro bono and volunteer work I want. Since I don’t play the lottery, the odds of this happening are slim. Guess I’ll just be happy to be alive and healthy.
Mel
Thanks, Kailey! Love you and glad you had a great time in Mexico. Thanks for the coke (a cola, that is!!) You are a blessing in my life and what an absolute joy it has been to see you develop into this awesome, BEAUTIFUL, godly young woman that you are today and to call you friend.
Kailey
Thanks Mel, I’m privalaged to be a blessing to you and much more an unexpected blessing.
This past couple weeks God has blessed me with some new friendships here at SMS through my trip to Mexico. God definatly blessed me through that trip, although I was expecting to be blessed, I was never expecting to be as blessed as I was. And it’s always an unexpected blessing when it is revealed to me over and over agian the gift of friendship that God has granted me through you. That, I have to say, is the best blessing of all. Thanks for always being there for me and understanding most of all who I am! Luv Ya!!!