Wednesday, March 5, 2014

To Make God Laugh, Tell Her Your Plans

Yesterday Bonnie wrote about how much has changed in her life since she graduated high school almost ten years ago. Her writing prompt made me think about just how much I've changed. Not only have I had some amazing experiences, but what I want out of life has changed too. Ten years ago, I was a junior in high school who had never kissed a guy. Now I'm a young woman almost five years out of college with a loving boyfriend of two and a half years. 

ONE YEAR:
What I thought: I assumed spring semester of my senior year of high school would be the best ever. I would be running most of the clubs in high school. A cute boy would ask me to prom. I would be on my way to the College of William and Mary, or Harvard University.

Where I was: Spring semester of my senior year of high school was extremely stressful. I did have leadership positions in most of the clubs, but I hadn't anticipated the stress involved. After three amazing years on dance team, I wanted to quit my senior year because being co-captain was so stressful. I didn't get into Harvard, and William and Mary wait-listed me. Luckily I was accepted into a private liberal arts university in my home state, one that I loved almost as much as my Ivy League ambitions. Oh, and I was the only one of my friends to go stag to prom.

FIVE YEARS:
What I thought: I was all about the "ring by spring." I definitely thought I would be engaged by my senior year of college. I also assumed I would be prepping for law school.

Where I was: Single. Totally single. Not only did I not have a boyfriend at the time, but I'd never had a boyfriend at that point. I'd also realized that studying law for three years would be incredibly boring. Instead, I was determined to move to France for a year to work as an au pair. At least I'd figured out by this point that being single was pretty cool, and moving to France would be easier without a boyfriend back home.

My roommates and I threw an Oscar's party my senior year. It was a blast!
I saw the Jonas Brothers 3D movie at midnight with a close friend. The person who took our tickets told us how cool it was that our parents let us go out on a school night. My friend and I were 21. This is me with my driver's license.

TEN YEARS:
What I thought: Oh, I definitely thought I'd be married with a baby by now! I assumed I'd be doing international law, but still living somewhere in the South.

Where I am: Still a virgin. Definitely not married. Definitely without a baby. Working a job that is interesting and challenging, but has nothing to do with my degree. Living in the Midwest, which might as well be a million miles away from my family.

I'm a virgin in real life and on TV!
I also feel like I should point out that I started my livejournal, which I still technically have, almost ten years ago exactly. And I first signed up for tumblr and twitter about five years ago. I've always been expressing myself online. I've just found a new medium to do so!

What about you? Ten years ago, did you think you'd be where you are today?

10 comments:

  1. I also thought i'd be doing international law. The after finishing my international relations degree I realised how much I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I realized at the end of my freshman year that I couldn't study law for three years. At that point, I changed my path to getting my Ph.D. in history, but then I decided to live in France for a few years...

      Delete
  2. This is a fun exercise. Ten years ago, I am not sure that I would have projected my life as it turned out, but the big parts of it wouldn't have been a huge leap - I am still surrounded by the same people that were important to me then, plus a few others, and living in a place that wouldn't have been that surprising to me then. I work in an industry that I barely knew existed, but I would have been able to identify my course into said industry.

    The part about adopting my then-eight year old sister, moving her 1,000 miles from home, and then eventually seeing her enroll at That University That You Mentioned Up There That is Two Miles From My House? Well, that part would have been pretty tough to project:-)

    And if you go back 15 years? My expectations for my own life (which were probably pretty low) would be almost impossible to reconcile with its current state.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahahaha, I love your second paragraph. Yeah, that's not really predictable. :)

      Delete
  3. high 5 to livejournal! oh, what an embarrassment of a blogger i was back then. my life has turned out 100% differently than the one i envisioned nearly 20 years ago (damn, i'm old).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad I'm not alone! Mine was mainly about school, Harry Potter, and boys. Mostly boys. Like a lot about boys.

      You're not old!!!!

      Delete
  4. Loved this post.

    I'm basically in the same boat as you in a lot of ways. It's funny looking where I wanted my life to go and where it is now.

    I wonder where I will be five years out if college (I am one year out right now.) we shall see!

    Bisous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm four years and ten months out of college. I didn't expect to be where I am right now at ALL. Although I did hope to find a boyfriend by this point, so that actually happened. :)

      Delete
  5. 10 years ago I was a sophomore in college, and while I didn't know what I wanted to do after, always assumed I would wind up back in California. Never would have guessed that I wound instead wind up in Louisiana. And yes, I too was writing on livejournal at that point!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ten years ago, I was getting ready to start college after a year off post-HS graduation to get over a Crohn's flare and have back surgery. I had had boyfriends, but nothing serious. In fact, my mom was constantly telling me I took dating too seriously and just needed to have fun while I was looking for "the one." I thought I would be studying English education and journalism that fall. I was feeling a bit lost because all of my high school friends had started college and already transitioned. In between, I had a Xanga, MySpace, and a Facebook profile. ;) Five years ago, I was in the second semester of grad school for English (no education degree--just pure English background)) and happily dating the man who became my husband after still not having had a serious relationship ever. I roomed with one of my best friends off campus, and I had a close-knit group of friends from college that all still lived in the area. I wasn't sure if I would go for my doctorate after graduation, if we would get married, if I would find a job, if I would move away, but I was happy where I was!

    This was fun!

    ReplyDelete

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