The Five Year Plan
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Well, I hope so. Because today? Today I am writing a post completely inspired by my friend Kristen's post on her blog yesterday. The title of her post? The Five Year Plan. Imitation indeed.
Five years ago. Five years ago, I was big and pregnant, awaiting the arrival of my first babe, my Big Girl. I remember the time well, feeling full of hope and fear, wondering what it would be like to meet her, and hold her, and love her. I remember feeling exhausted and elated, dizzy with anxiety and anticipation. I remember thinking, knowing, that life as I knew it was about to change profoundly. And it did.
Today. Today I am a mother. A mother of three little girls whom I love madly. Three little girls in whom I can glimpse myself and Husband, three little girls in whom I have already invested so much - so much heart, so much hope. Three little girls with blue eyes and big cheeks and good minds. Three little girls who are silly and serious and ours. Today I am also a writer, a real writer whatever that means. I published a book and I maintain a blog. I write because I need to, and because I want to. I write because that is how I process, and ponder, and progress. I write because it's the way I commune with the world, with myself, with life's questions. Questions that abound. Today I am also, and equally importantly, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a citizen. I am many things, many good and complicated things.
Five years from now. Who knows? It is hard for me to know who I will be, what my world will look like. I imagine it will be a world of growing girls and piling words and shaping stories. I imagine it will be a world of joy and struggle, of memory and ideas. I imagine I will be celebrating things I would never predict, and mourning things I would never think to lose. A lot can change in five years, no?
Yes, it can. And I am sure it will.
Imagine if you weren't sure that you had the next five years to live. I know this is a depressing thought, but just stop for a moment and imagine it. Imagine if you were young, say, thirty-one, and this was the case.
Imagine that.
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The words below are pulled directly from Kristen's post yesterday. I couldn't say it better myself, so I won't. Please read and do whatever you can to help.
Instead of leaving a comment on todays post, please take a moment and visit Big Little Wolf to learn about the important work she is doing to help raise money for a life-saving kidney transplant for Ashley Quiñones, aka the Kidney Cutie, aka the sister of Kelly Miller of The Miller Mix.
Is there anything you can do to help Ashley dream of a Five Year Plan of her own?