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...

Uoy uhh(tgo idd otg eropsiiirt adn ,legsrgtu mose uoy !ti nagd)hec utb yuo hvgeiernyt adwetn. .
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Ew ni aanttmahn do eliv. Ouy ot cshared ew dah eevla rekmta hte a ciyt ynnus ughotht og,rugose udgirn uoy mofr aosuscip dna rboek dan eth ouyr evael eidvl uoy ni solcbk had sredma tarentpam ot ausebec eht eon rdga hosep hwne aevh holsco you luoepc naapemttr hte a - adn yuro ustj udstin ertha yuo stlo. Slmoat evyer but dya do ,yrosr obuta yuo tkihn tlisl 'im ihm. To mih stlil htevan' naiag neskpo oyu. Sh'e bbya ardrmie ithw a own. That ilke awth yuo otl dwrone tihw hvea you been ti a ni bauto olwud utufre. Yhowrt oyu rewe to ot thta teh itrgyn yrsae uoy tsal ensdp rpeov imh 01. Erew uyo aalysw. You orupd eryonju eb nac htta elov hotuhgt fo uoy eh him no who meebca noeoems prveo bouta ot dna owgrn r,ewe uoy tub lryut. Os so uyo wodul be orpud. Era produ os uyo. .
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Uoy reom reitw tlo a. Etiwr dna we tperoy uoy ttrdaes ahev rock l)?saawy tub and a outi(imbs,a rt'eewn epoar olenv a. Tbu 'tis heslduibp, itsll lgao eyt ton a. Nevre did sa buplshi ouy a ibref rreace utb amde e'lwl fo rfo yuo a algrm,ou irtew os ikel did tcoun neo,c aycihntelc)l eotrw nuiobssism (thye dduones fro that uyo omrua,lg ainthgmre a atth. Etiedx,s on rof oyu rgokwin in miigeand htpa ouyre' aciols thec eaisvms eaidm a a eervn unigtscoln ni mncoyap kimnagrte. Yuo it levo. Dna asrmt uryo eiricdlbny voeupitspr rea coewrsokr. Oyru llac whit - bacesue - tsnaucyar the and,cemip fo royu iaorftev cepal uoy uory eth oudlonm oyu side to yb ofmr matenrpta rkwo get now. .
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Ouoldnm ardnou tllis si. Ecncra emmsru be he dan iths will baet 12. Nam an teh no lebevie a'tcn odl sttere s'eh eplope. Engrye enigb ihestppa lslti oruiettnap teh fro dan god hte ahs hdrnbogoioeh yppup a ni eh. Yare cahrm ssepad ni tsla lahery. 81 aws seh hse saw nad dyare. Os vleo fmilay gvae het leivotud lal seh teh uchm dan tcas throe ni. Ees mpt,artnae emvo otin dashre roseoatmm ujst ti depsirom oen ou'dy akme reh dna ryou ocne erh hte thwi zcary won acbk mofr vdeil dna ouy ot hse gnol cny ot yuo eonhgu smdeoya you cobslk. Si't rcyaz. Nad tem ps,edas fatre eth eahlry i hgiosbnre of one ehr gdo. . . Mnaed earhly. Fflulil orspemi htta esh yuo was. .
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Kbie no we (a cmorceyotl sldo ?city? ni teh hte !khs)nat. 'rewe teh ni no doocn isapn tslli gownrik. Lohsoc tath befir,ly ,arridem eht adh atht no to hhgi uoy ew uoy ruchs in eilevbe ghue cna ugy tgo if. Aeyr hioollcca a eb an tahn tou of tudnre uoy eusaivb ahtt lpedul otu elss to sofuyelr nda in he. Tno yevr oodg osilesprnhita eyu'or neics elahthy ipgncki ntudis ta. Oye'ru ev'uyo reve ahtn madn lsgein ppirhea !esimt reeth way ,wno but bnee deaengg htta. Are ayw ppitsuorev nerve nedifrs vyo'ue heva wkonn an woh a lal ugorp morf in of oevr eidcbnriel you. .
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Eped licleseayp yaer you oyv'eu dah oesltdai dna mduonlo nad gohtrw utjs slta eth ni seimmen aqtanrnue,i in hlwie ln,gaehi. Nmeyo llits tlleit no nwe evdio rguhoht nda ramest - samge amke rusvoai hetm ht,wcit even noigd a ltfeeidnyi dan dsfrine play you mgazian uoy it ehav mte eorm mgeas. Twah sesl ouy oyu of oenyj erssts arf do adn eomr. .
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Roem 50; a ggorinw miets evha oebfer 100 we stil aomstl anth a 05 ew dna vhea uectbk long. Wsa rnugint ads dan eilltt eixgntic a 73. Sert lal a elft, 'onedst adn hte yfiaml teh ni you llwi llits oienesmlts sendp a ikel kile be seelf of rdcsa it leif yuo big nca era the su seerht' ellitt klie it olok ingod btu uhmc os it eveathrw orf ervo os. Sfhiin kboo ahtt. Inaps og ot. Ntticosnne lal tisvi teh. Nebig goind naogl dan feli ncyoutimm ullf you od yruo uyo lla lsocai hntaticue ti iinlvg anc gllyciolateapo ou!y eesucba aobtu no oyvue' neeb pkee medai atnw a lidub etaerhvw. .
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Hse'd flte ihewl us i in eamerdd we way uotab efil lcduo esh ltel eht thta pdpater lsalm 71 seh ahev ldo bcka og town shwi rrtoes so nad ayer. .
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Uoy i velo. Etfglrau rfo os yuo i ma. Pu oyu gave erenv. Etkp sphgnui you. Soem ti b,elirohr hwo ueivsdvr oynl adn uisenho scessuc yuo hits a sfrhlee era ouy ot rtoys owse. Ehre inogg dan etwaehrv out, do yoejn ot mrof e'wer kcik it to cuhm we ggino so w'eer on ssa. Awy eth and be goriignvf as wlil of we we ohest cereuotnn y,awlas dik,n adn einptta on. .
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Oe,lv.
Ial (ew by wo)n go ali.

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