Archive for July 5, 2012
How Would You Grade Your Life?
If asked to grade your life what would you say? How do you think your current life compares to the life you expected at your age? Do you think you are on track, behind or have you completely changed course from the life you thought you wanted?
I’m not sure what I expected for my life or that I had a particular vision in mind. I vaguely remember writing an essay as a teenager in which I detailed my plans for the future as having children and teaching literature at the college level, though I’m not sure I ever really had a definitive plan.
Most of my early infatuations involved boys who were artists. I suppose I envisioned a husband who would spend his days playing guitar and teaching philosophy. Clearly making money was not high on my list of expectations.
I pictured living in a modest home like the one in which I was raised. A one-story ranch-style house in the country. A place where you could see the stars at night and feel the warm gentle breeze.
I never envisioned having or making a lot of money. It didn’t seem like my passion for literature and writing would fill my piggy bank and I assumed money would be tight for much if not all of my life.
So where did I end up…
Well I married a software developer, a technologist, a man who loves computers and all things science. Far from the guitar playing, philosopher I imagined, but I can’t imagine a better partner for my life long journey. Although our marriage isn’t perfect, it’s nearly as close to perfection as I could imagine. Every one has their issues and we try our best to voice our concerns and talk through our problems. He is the yin to my yang. He knows how to pick me up when I’m down and comfort me when I’m troubled. I attribute my greatest successes in life to having known and married him and I am eternally grateful that life and God brought us together.
As for my career… For twelve years I worked as a software developer. It’s a job I never would’ve held if I hadn’t met my husband in college. His passion for computers was contagious. It certainly wasn’t a teaching job, though strangely enough I did find a lot of similarities between literature and programming. I was forced out of the working world last year and now stay-at-home with my adorable eight month old son. It’s the hardest and best job on earth and I’m grateful that my husband’s employment affords me the opportunity.
Rather than owning one modest home I now own two sizable houses and a vacant lot that I hope to build on in the next ten to fifteen years. While my primary home is close to the city, my vacation home gives me a wide view of the night stars and welcomes me most mornings with warm gentle breezes.
Truth be told I want for very little in life. Some people have a lot of money but not a lot of love. Some people have a lot of love but not a lot of money. I have been blessed with both love and money. It’s taken a lot of work to reach this point in my life, but at 34 I am happy to say that life is constantly getting better. I thank my lucky stars for all that I have and I am grateful each day for the blessings I’ve received thus far.
Not everything in my life has turned out the way I would’ve expected and I’ve faced some medical hurdles along the way, but all in all I would have to give my life a definite A. At this exact moment I wouldn’t want my life any other way.
