Your Younger Self

Today, I'm following along with a journal prompt from Sometimes Sweet. As I'm gearing up for another season in Sweden, this post really spoke to me and I'm excited to write about it!

Without further ado, here is the prompt: Think about the plans you had for your adult self when you were younger- would you say they match up to your reality today? What did you wish for your future when you were a child? Did you have a plan? And would you say you've followed that plan in any way? This week, look at the life you hoped to have (even if you consider your childhood "dreams" silly now) and see how your current life compares.

This prompt carries so much weight with me! Of course, it depends what age I was when I thought about my future. I'm somewhat fortunate, in that I always knew I wanted to work in customer service- specifically the restaurant industry- especially due to this little thing called Grump's Cafe. My entire life, except for one year (when Legally Blonde came out, I was determined to be a lawyer and be the next Elle Woods!) Of course, before obtaining a full-time job, I wanted to go to college and get my degree. I knew that I wanted to work in restaurants and eventually manage/own them. Besides a job, I figured that I would get married, live close to my family, and have a couple of pets. I never wanted kids- they were just going to get in the way of my career and life. I wanted to be able to travel the world, and still live comfortably. The most important things in my life would be my husband, family, and friends; along with the experiences I was able to share with each of them.

Wow, has my "life" changed from what I thought it would be. There are certainly aspects that have remained exactly the same, only with a few minor tweaks. I went to college; only instead of going for four years I went for three (thanks PSEO for a year of free college!). I worked in restaurants from almost the day I was able to until now- of course, off and on. I've worked nearly every position there is to in them, from hostessing to serving to managing, and overall loved every second of it. Of course, there are days where I could go without dealing with some of the people in the industry, but I love the human interaction. I got married to a terrific guy. We have pet(s) between our English bulldog, Lily, and our crazy kitty. I would say wholeheartedly right now that the most important aspects in my life are my husband, family, friends, and the experiences with them.

And that is almost where the similarities end. See, I never planned on living in Europe. I never planned on marrying the (wonderful!!!) man that I did, and focusing on his career versus mine. I never planned on moving across an ocean from my family and friends, and only living on the same continent as them for a few months a year. I never thought I would want to have kids, and a family of my own.

But then it all changed, when I met my (now) husband. I learned how to be a part of a couple, and something bigger than yourself- because now, I was no longer thinking "me, me, me, what do I want" I was thinking "us, us, us, what do we want from life?". It was a shift of perspective. And we realized that there were things and experiences we wanted out of life. And you know what? It has turned out wonderfully. We live in Sweden for 9 months of the year, and have been offered wonderful opportunities. I am furthering my education with an MBA, he is thinking about law school, we have travelled the world, and together we have broadened our horizons. We have realized how important family and friends are, and know that we want a family of our own one day. We treasure the time we have at home as well as the time where we get to explore the world.

So, if you asked me, is your life how you imagined it? I would tell you, no, it is not. My life is nowhere near where I imagined it would be- but that is OK, and I love every second of it! What about you- is your life where you saw it heading as a child?