Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Fifteen

I went home for lunch yesterday and “Friends in Low Places” came on the radio. I cranked it up, then thought, as you do, if only my 15-year-old self could see me now. Wouldn’t she be horrified? Still driving around belting out the same old song and not doing what I thought I would…

Wait. I’m doing EXACTLY what I thought I’d be doing when I was 15.

(As an aside, I have no idea why I settled upon age 15, since I knew the song long before then. I was six when it was released!)(Which was in 1990, for all who are now curious.)

When I was 15, I wanted to be an accountant (check!) and work in a cubicle (check!).

(Cubicles get a bad rap, but it’s not so bad. Basically I’m antisocial and wanted to sit by myself all day crunching numbers. Which is pretty much what I do. And I like it. I mean, I wouldn’t turn down a private office, but the cubicle is just fine for now.)

What else… I wanted to be married (check!) and have three kids by age 30. I’m 27 and I’ve got two, so I think that goal is coming along well.

I wanted to have a house (check!) and live near my family. I now live 4 hours from my hometown, but either by coincidence, luck, or God’s perfect plan, my sisters, my parents, and I have all moved down here and live within 45 minutes of each other.

It’s weird to think I “have it all,” since there are still things I want. There’s always going to be. Also, this is as far as I went out when imagining my future life. Husband, babies, house, job – I’ve accomplished everything, so I kind of feel like I’ve reached the edge of my imagined universe and am into new territory now.

I’ve been walking around for the past day trying it on for size. I have it…all? I have it ALL. All? I have it? I HAVE IT ALL.

FREAKY.

Does your life look like you thought it would when you were 15?


P.S. I have now fallen down a Wikipedia wormhole and am finding out all sorts of things I never knew about Friends in Low Places. Did you know Garth Brooks wasn’t the first artist to put it on an album? Mark Chestnutt was. But Garth was the first artist to sing the song, because he was doing demo work prior to making it big and was hired by the songwriters. Also, George Strait was offered the song and turned it down.

8 comments:

  1. Hahaha, NO. I thought I'd be a writer and a world-traveler. I never imagined working in anything even close to IT. I thought I would be married and have a kid, *possibly* two. Kids weren't a specific goal for me, though. I definitely did NOT think I would still be in Utah.

    I like my career, though, and marriage is imminent. I'm terrified about kids now, but we've decided we'll try for one anyway. We shall see! I fear we will always live in Utah, but I suppose it could be worse. :)

    What are some of the things you want now?

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  2. Oh, by "still things I want" I just meant there's always SOMETHING you think will make you happier that keeps you from thinking you have it all already. Nothing specific, except for everyone continuing to be healthy and growing old, etc, though fabulous exotic vacations and piles of money would be great.

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  3. I really enjoy your blog! I'm a new mom, a wife, and try to balance home life with a full-time job that I (mostly) enjoy and find fullfilling. The only thing missing is the house, I guess. But I know that will come in time! I think my 15-year-old self would have thought I would have traveled more internationally by now but otherwise I think she'd be pretty proud of me. :-)

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  4. I just remember thinking I'd be awesome at 30. And I guess I kinda was. But I think I am more awesome at 33. Also I NEVER NEVER thought I would be a SAHM.

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  5. It's all about frame of mind, right? As you said, there always are things we want, but if we can take a minute to appreciate the things we have, life seems less crappy. Cheesy, cliched, but true.

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  6. I didn't think I would get married until I was 30, but then I met my husband at 22 and got married at 26 and already had my first kid right after I turned 30. So. I don't know if that means I was ahead of my plan or if I failed to do the other stuff I thought I'd do before I turned 30.

    I think it's really cool that you accomplished all the things you thought you would want to at age 15.

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  7. HA! When I was 15 I was a Bible-thumping, pretentious, insecure jerk. I thought I'd be a music minister, that I'd be driving around listening to Christian rock, that I'd be married and have LOTS of babies. My life is MUCH better now that I know about life.

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  8. When I was 15 I wanted to be a writer living in Seattle. I think I kind of am? I didn't think I'd be married or have kids, because I was all "woe is me I don't have a boyfriend at 15 so OBVS no one will want me ever!" I'm glad I'm not so insecure anymore.

    You do have it all. That's pretty amazing.

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