Yesterday, Kristen at Motherese offered a wonderful glimpse into her life – looking back at her past five years and how much her world has changed. Her personal journey has taken her from teaching school in New England to becoming a writer and mother of three little ones, living in the Midwest.
As a teacher, Kristen was making a difference. As a writer and mother, she continues to make a difference. We can all make a difference.
Kristen muses on The Five Year Plan, reminding us that most of us have the opportunity to do just that – look back, to see how far we’ve come. And then look forward, to more years of exploring, of learning, of loving our families.
But we don’t all have that option.
Kristen directs her readers to visit the post on Ashley Quiñones, here, and challenges us to help Ashley so she may have a Five Year Plan as well.
Aidan at Ivy League Insecurities has joined in this morning, with her lovely post about her three little girls and her life as an author, as she works diligently on her second novel. She too makes a difference. And hers is also a very different life from the one she was living five years ago.
Like Kristen, she encourages us to imagine being 31 years old and not to have a future. Five years back, yes. But what if there were no “five years ahead” for you?
I love this idea of Kristen’s – The Five Year Plan.
Might I ask and encourage any of you who feel like doing so to follow Kristen’s example, to write your own Five Year Plan? Look back and then look forward. Link to Kelly, Ashley’s sister at The Miller Mix, and if you would, then link to the post on Ashley’s need for a kidney transplant.
Later today, I’ll be writing my usual Thursday Work of Art review, but I would also like to ponder my past five years as well. Perhaps tomorrow.
Again – thanks to everyone for sharing your own hopes and dreams, your stories, and helping to share Ashley’s story as well.
Here’s where I’d like to be in five years: sitting with you, Ashley, Kelly, Aidan, and all of our friends sipping champagne and toasting dreams, hope, health, and fellowship. How does that sound? xo
Kristen – I love your vision! I’m going to count on it! And thank you for your brilliant idea. May we all dream ourselves a hopeful Five Year Plan.
Five year plans – let’s see. (By the way, we all know that my wife Fran doesn’t make five-year plans and doesn’t look back.) Each year I do a very brief recap of the past year and consider (not planning – “chance favors the prepared mind”) the coming year or two at most. In the past I have made advance plans for ending my prior marriage, dating, and for “retiring” into my current adjunct status. Not much else other than plans related to finishing my education and raising children. I do have ongoing reflection on values concerning things that may come up, but long range plans now – hardly. I have thoughts about old age, but how well can you plan for living with diminishments? Besides, I’d rather put my energy into keeping going at the moment – likely the best you can do for old age. Think I’ve mentioned that there is apparently a warrant for my arrest now and I am doing planning for that within a larger context of Gandhian life values and building support. We’re getting occupied with Occupy, but who could have planned for that? Reflection — now THAT is important.
I do think our tendency to plan – or to believe in that planning – evolves as we get older. We understand our fragility to a larger extent, don’t we Paul. Then again, I suspect Ashley understands the value of life and its fragility far better than most of us, at any age.
I just read this and clicked over to donate. Thank you so much for doing this for Ashley.
Best wishes.
Thank you! 🙂