Those 10 Years went FAST!

Peaceful right?

Hey Superhero! As I write this, you're about to turn 27 in a few days. According to my plan, by this age you should have been engaged to your best friend, editing Glamour Magazine and sipping colorful martinis at posh nightspots in Manhattan. None of that happened. I hope it never happened. That's not really who you are. You spent a long time trying to fit yourself into the box of what you thought you wanted, when really, that wouldn't have made you as happy as you liked to waste your time imagining it would. Now it's April 22, 2021. You're an energetic, accomplished 37 year old who dresses well, albeit a bit eccentrically, but not over the top. I hope you're writing. A lot. Way more than you were 10 years ago. You've published a book of poems, haven't you? I bet you're in the New Yorker all the time. You're probably a Pulitzer Prize winner or poet laureate of the world. I hope you're still riding your motorcycle (and that it's bigger and faster now and also that it's a personal spacecraft!). I hope you've traveled all over the world, writing, meeting people and experimenting with your life. Do we have a house in Spain? I hope we have a house in Spain. If we don't, get on that, please. I hope you finished your 30 Before 30, are nearly finished your 40 Before 40 and have written your 50 Before 50. I hope none of those lists repeated any items. I'm excited to see what you come up with and how 10 years has changed your perspective on life and what you want out of it. I hope you do nice things for other people every day. I hope Muldoon is still around. He'll be almost 12. Harley would be almost 19 now... I hope you know she loved you and that she never thought you failed her or yourself. It was silly to ever think that and I don't know why or how she got connected to all that pain, but she loved you in a way that was supernatural for animals to even feel. I hope you got over feeling like you disappointed her. You didn't. Ever. I hope it's been 9 years since you've even thought about him. And I'm sorry for making you think about him now. I bet Harley forgot all about him. He was never the man he led you believe he was and he certainly wasn't deserving of all that love and admiration you gave him. I hope he's happy with wherever he is in life, but I also hope you don't know whether he is or not because I hope you haven't spoken in... almost 12 years now. I hope you have no idea who I'm talking about! I hope you still play video games unapologetically and wear heels regularly. I hope you laugh all the time with friends new and old who nourish your life with love and culture and new ideas. It's probably as weird for you to imagine me, your old self, as it is for me to imagine you, myself a decade from now. I can't even see a month into the future! Anyway, stay awesome. Let go and take what life gives you. Take action to get what it doesn't. See you in another 10 years! Alison

Epilogue

2 days later

Hi Alison,

I was not expecting this today. You sure had a vision of our future! I'm happy to report that the best parts all came true. Not without pain...

Iitorpesir !it yuo ouy tghho(u tbu tog and ewdatn uyo nghc)dea ltrgseug, ddi vrehynegti msoe. .
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Ni do we evli anttanhma. In - tthugoh eht oyu ahd hte dievl aevle drga uyo nad sitdun hoclos nda nyuns eavle ahd lkbsoc oruy when to radechs iyct arktem het iuapscos ot uyo dan drmsae you udingr aterantmp mrfo a keobr poeucl penattamr uyo eno hetar rouy ohpes cuabsee ,eoogusgr a hvea jtsu otls ew teh. Knith mi' toaub do slilt mtosal uoy vyeer but mhi rsyo,r dya. Agnai noksep ouy imh isltl ot henavt'. Ithw h'es own a diamrre bbay. Htat abuto wlodu it uoy olt a nbee hitw heav awht nrdeow ni rtueuf kile you. Mih to ohywtr weer ahtt uoy eth slat you to 01 arsye sepdn vrope gnryti. Uoy alswya rwee. Rewe, htat ueorjny macebe on oyu nrwog urtly of yuo mhi eeosonm evlo vepor ot eh nca uhthtgo eb utbao btu oudrp oyu hwo nad. Os so wdoul udrpo be you. Uyo pourd os rea. .
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Uoy a triwe otl mroe. Tub evonl eavh a ettrdas we uoy o(bai,tiusm paore aay)sl?w crok rietw dna epyrto dan wnt'ree a. Ltlsi a ety alog tub i'ts buh,ldspie tno. A chliyclenta) enc,o ewl'l a onutc ghiemtarn iferb htta uyo ouy as enrev but oa,ruglm idd glomar,u udsedon ofr ttha piblsuh ofr ddi yteh( os eilk fo treiw you troew a dame eraecr isusbmsoni. Lcsoia idame ofr tahp vessiam eixesd,t on yuo comyapn in a a rvene uoey'r irognkw in ehtc minaeigd nmtiekgar gitucnslon. It loev yuo. Starm ptrepvosiu rea adn cosrekrwo eybirdnlic ruoy. Ebaecus oryu eht uoy etg yrou uodnoml - ot korw from nwo yb uyo alpec - iesd ruoy ihtw lcla fo racaustyn tioevfra arntematp teh iapmnced,. .
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Drauno si listl oodnlmu. Eanccr illw uermms nda eb he etab isth 12. Na antc' dol lpeepo e'hs on eht bveleie mna tteers. Puypp het tieonpurta phsapite reeygn giebn in gdo a he eth lltis and hsa fro doognrhioebh. Earhyl hcram atls in assped yaer. Rdeay nda asw 81 esh ehs swa. Astc iflaym ni hse lal adn otiveudl geva het hroet uhmc hte so oelv. Oyu htiw noec yd'ou reh nda uyo tnoi mtrnptaea, mametosro srdeiopm coskbl raedhs eguhno her ti yrou glon see ycn you omve ot iveld adn yemsaod kmae she to teh rcayz cbka fomr eon stuj own. Rayzc ts'i. Emt apedss, eth ehr dna one aerhyl fo hesrbogni god aetfr i. . . Eanmd yrlhae. She taht saw ouy imrseop fiflllu. .
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Het ?c?tyi lods kieb (a hsak)t!n rtlcmooecy we teh on ni. Ni on tlsli er'ew wikrgon dcono eth pinas. Gyu the you cna lhscoo we on ahtt ihgh hrucs ilebeev dha tath ogt rrdaemi, ot l,berfiy if ni ghue uoy. Be uot less cllioohac aery out of folryuse a tahn in ot uoy saeibvu adn atht peludl udntre na he. Gikinpc yerv ont ahylthe sriaiolestnhp scein eruy'o ogdo at intuds. Bene tub neigsl s!item taht ueyo'v egaegnd mnad ruoy'e erihppa awy w,on rvee tehre nhat. Ueopsptrvi enerv a all ywa nwkno how rpoug feirnsd na aevh ni ear fo mfor vueyo' ovre ibercindle ouy. .
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Lehgn,ai aletsdio eth tjus in ouy ni ieeclyplsa oumnlod gtwhor hilwe adh dna iqnaeat,rnu ltas deep ov'euy eiensmm reya dan. Stemar meyon uoy htuhorg tellit and a zaagnim frsendi no - ti rmoe new aypl ltsli htem nieyeftlid viaurso oyu deivo agsem ctthw,i etm nda odgin aveh kaem amesg even. Arf fo esrsts and slse uyo njyoe awth od ouy meor. .
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Forebe smeit a htna avhe soltma we oggnrwi ahve a nad 100 omer ;50 slit 05 we nolg keutcb. Gunrnit sad nda igcetxin ltlite 73 a wsa. Are eilf gbi sltil adn cna tub het whetavre so us dracs tser tllite kiel ehrts'e ti fo a leik ekil oolk lla ti oyu eb ti dsnep uchm oyu iogdn ovre in ef,lt lwil odn'ste so a eht ilstenmseo selfe ilfmya teh ofr. Book hifins taht. Nspia go to. Eht lla vitsi ottsnicnen. Keep do imade uoy eovu'y aongl eneb a ibeng tauob oyu isloca royu lnigiv ictheaunt ludib algeioctpyllao all bceeusa elfi igdno uo!y on anc and tanw it vrehetwa otimuncym flul. .
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Iswh aevh lslma tlle hde's hes ntow old in way tefl su demerda setorr ew eilf hatt dculo dna het aotbu raey hes go os kacb edtrppa 71 i ihelw. .
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Uyo olev i. I ma tfarluge orf yuo os. Gave up ouy nreev. Nushipg uoy ektp. Are a dna uvisdrve hsti tysro ot eelrfsh usesscc oyu nloy smoe it iohrlb,re wsoe who oiueshn uoy. Rofm to,u chmu oging so ti ynejo to ass rwevthea eew'r and on kcik rehe ew e'ewr igong do ot. Eth and aly,asw npetati fo eb nda lwil wya sthoe we as no igogvnifr dnki, cnertoune we. .
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Leo,v.
(we yb lia og lai )wno.

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