Past and Future

Found at Janet's, and she found it here.

...these questions are geared toward the past 2 decades, the present and the future. Share your life with us!


Ready? Here we go!

Where were you in 1987? In school? Working? Single? Married? Attached? What was important to you? What were you doing creatively? Tell us a bit about your life then. I realize some of you were children then...all the better!

Twenty years ago, I was about 2/3 done with grad school, my dad had just had his third heart attack and second heart surgery, and I was 23. I'd been married almost a year. We lived in a tiny apartment on a busy street and were about to become managers for the owners for a cut in rent. I was happy, busy, poor, and in love, not to mention too stupid to realize how young and lucky we really were. I was also about 130 lbs. dripping wet. Creativity? Probably the only really creative outlet was reading, or cooking on $35 a week.

Where were you in 1997? What would you like to share about the nineties?

Ten years ago, I was living in The House I Hated, and working at my second library job, but part time. I was recovering from a full hysterectomy. I'd already done the full-time parenting thing and discovered a) it's boring, and b) we needed income. I had delivered newspapers for two years to make ends meet. Let's see: I was 22, I'd worked my first library job for 6 years, survived PsychoBoss, been diagnosed with lots of environmental allergies and received shots for them for three years, had moved three times (one other apartment and a house with an amazing yard--I LOVED that house!), had a baby, moved to a different state where we knew no one, hated my life, lost my sister and my dad, had started scrapbooking, was back to being solvent after several lean financial years (see above re stay-at-home mom) and was probably clinically depressed and definitely overweight from being at home eating all the time. But I loved being a mom. L-O-V-E-D it. Best thing I've ever done, even when life sucks. I was (over) involved at church, possibly Sunday School Superintendent?? The shit hadn't hit the fan there. Yet. I knew an awful lot about alcoholism that I'd never wanted to know, too.

Where did you plan to be or think you'd be in 2007? Have your realized your goals? What is one thing about your present life you love and one you'd like to change?

I realized in college that I suck at long-term goal-setting, so that's like the worst question in the world to ask me. However, I probably would have said I'd like to be working full-time again by now and doing more technical service work. I was definitely hoping not to be living in the House I Hated by now. I love that we built a house four years ago that I still love every day. I'm less thrilled about not moved into full-time work, but it has it's upsides, too.

How do you see your life in 2017? Do you have any goals or dreams for your future?

Hmm, well, Sparky will be 24 (YIKES!), and hopefully a college graduate. I MUST be working full-time by then, or at least working full-time hours wherever. Sitting around the house is really not good for me. I'll be 53 (YIKES) and I'm hoping I won't have developed diabetes as my brother has; I also hope I'll be healthy generally. More importantly--well, AS importantly--I hope Beast is still relatively healthy! Still too young for retirement, as if there's any hope of that anyway, I hope we have lots more time for traveling. An RV might be in our future. I've also thought a lot over the years about going back to school. Cuz, y'know, having two majors in undergrad and a measly master's isn't enough school! ;-) I want to be happy. I'll settle for mostly contented. And I want to be living in this house, or in a house in a climate where the sun shines more often.