List #217: Change in a Decade

Ten Years Ago I...

• Had just graduated from college and had moved back in to my parents house.
• Was confused and lost and didn't even know it.
• Used both a landline and a cell phone.
• Had dial-up Internet.
• Didn't know that you needed an MLIS/MLS to become a librarian.
• Wasn't even aware that librarian was a vibrant career option.
• Thought that I might want to go to graduate school for an MFA.
• Talked on the phone each nigh to a boy that I missed but knew I wouldn't marry, even if the story would have been a good one.
• Drank a lot of cheap beer.
• Wanted to move to another country, but had no idea how.
• Had no idea that in another year, I would move to another country.
• Possessed a never-been-broken heart.
• Had never attended a hockey game.
• Was logged into AOL Instant Messenger.
• Didn't know the thrill of kissing up against a door way. 
• Wasn't sure the Steelers would ever win a Super Bowl in my lifetime.
• Had yet to vote for a winning President.
• Was cautious, but not scared. 
• Wanted to adopt a kitten.
• Thought that I was fat.
• Purchased books at a book store.
• Owned a desktop computer.
• Worked out a gym.
• Didn't straighten my hair.
• Owned only a few dresses.
•  Was absolutely clueless.

I'm heading to my college 10-year reunion this weekend. And though many poo-poo the idea of reunions, my Alma Mater knows how to do it up right. A benefit, in my opinion, from having graduated from a very small liberal arts college that fosters a community of dedicated adults. I'm mostly really excited. I'm looking forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new people I didn't know very well back then.

But one tiny part of me is a little nervous. Scared that in the next ten years I won't get to accomplish what I desire most in my heart. I'm fretting not for the reunion weekend, but for what comes after. Because if there is one thing I've learned in a decade, it's that you really have no idea what is going to be throw in your direction.

It is enough to make me gasp for air.

So, dear readers, just like you'd dish out advice on recent graduates. Let's share our own advice for the next ten years here.