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...

Oyu giyrhevnet dntaew did semo nad otg btu etiisiporr uyo t!i uyo o(tguhh tsgulrge, )cdnaghe. .
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Do ni nmtaatanh live we. Ryou oyu you hda gogur,ose to ustj tkamer - the ivdle dna soapcsui esmrad aehv ardg you adh racsehd losoch eth eeval ocuple hte htera tmaanpter nduigr euescab in niutds enhw a rtantpeam cyit oruy yuo kslboc ot okerb nnysu oen htthguo het espho we a and eeval yuo nad tslo fomr. Obuat utb im' amstlo day od hknit ouy mih osry,r reyev tllsi. Tlils aniga ouy atv'enh ot mih eknsop. A own armride itwh s'eh bbya. Ernodw tath hatw uurtef oyu neeb tol oyu ni obuta have a uwodl hwit it leik. Nsedp grnyti to oywhrt the him rewe ltsa yuo you 10 vroep to yersa ttah. Ewre lwysaa oyu. Ebaemc eb msoeeno ouy oyunrej to pruod oevl fo w,eer wrngo hwo mih orevp ouy hatt on thoutgh anc obatu eh and uyo tyulr but. Uoy so duwol pduor eb so. Rpduo so rea oyu. .
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Tol uoy oemr a etriw. A iewtr eertnw' edrttas oaper we ?asay)wl tusia,bmo(i a ubt dna nda uoy ehva oypret onevl korc. Tey lslti tis' tub ogal tno a idhbseup,l. Elw'l ofr duneods tcalchienl)y sluhpib n,eoc rfo h(yte ddi iferb as oyu hatt uyo rowte eenrv of rcraee a ielk uyo tweir arglo,um a did that unoct eihrntmga ,amrguol umnbosisis a so tbu emad. Oyu tanigrmek ni igrknow e,setidx vnere ni csiloa a euroy' scotilgunn dneiimga dimea apht ivsaesm a ynoacpm cthe on fro. It ouy lvoe. Rasmt oyur rniibedcyl and era ouepriptvs ckesorwor. Own orfm get omnludo ihtw oyu refaovit cpael aramptnte het uroy of yuor oury to rowk sabuece ataryscnu eth yb ouy - iesd lacl c,eanidmp -. .
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Listl dranuo si domlonu. Be hsti carnce nda eabt he lwli emmrus 21. Elbveei on plepoe old an hes' 'ctan eth reetts amn. Eht erenyg eh has adn ni bndorioohheg dog siltl ypppu trpanoiute the ihtpesap fro nebgi a. Atls raylhe rmach erya ni pdseas. Hes yeard asw was hes dan 18. Evga hse lla yflmia teh eivoldut nad in hte asct cumh rtheo love so. Onit make unehgo adn deosyam move see it tjus logn eat,mnptra rhe yuo shader rmmotoase ouy you ot and eth ryou hiwt yuo'd to won oblksc reh ycn eon esh idpresmo ofmr nceo ayrzc ivdel abkc. I'ts azycr. Odg i reh the ehlyra shrognebi of oen featr s,aedsp etm nda. . . Aylher ndema. Yuo seh ttha flluifl saw pmreosi. .
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Ticy?? eth sldo in yectoorlmc we (a ekib eth on !anksth). Het 'reew gwkorni ltsli siapn in ondco on. You hgih ni got teh yuo uhrsc ot lefry,bi hatt eeveilb huge we thta yug ermd,ari hda no if cna sohocl. Yaer less in taht a ot uoy uvbsiae tanh syorfuel nda eh otu uleldp of uertdn an uto choailclo eb. Iusndt ta ecisn godo snlioaepsthir kgnciip yrev etyhhla ure'oy ont. Rephipa htta eu'roy hteer onw, ywa u'oyev but egagden lginse nbee vere mdna atnh sm!eti. Tpusvepiro lla owh wnonk ceeiidrnlb ernfids rae hvae na a rove wya gopru fo o'uvey mfro rvnee yuo in. .
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Nad ni taninarequ, depe iwhel nda ni hwgotr einsmme oyu ,hlaegni e'ouvy dtsloeia eyllscipae atsl hte utjs odnulmo dha arey. Orem tmhe agsme itlls eenv tme a play ihw,ttc thohugr aehv dna rausovi semag nidgo - sirfend ltefdyiein no saemtr and anmagiz yeonm you tiltel it kame you nwe evido. Esls of setrss dna orem thwa jeony raf od uyo yuo. .
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Ew ahev 05 100 mlsaot ew veha gnol refeob rgiogwn 0;5 a a ckuetb anht adn islt reom tmeis. 37 ecxitign a nad asw itllet trnigun asd. Ahevtrew os ibg so a tdoens' a su iekl rof ti dpens ubt eb cdsar voer feil ltsil eth lal and lilw keil kool uoy stre rae ti yuo e,lft mhcu msleotseni acn ndgoi klei it ettlli hte in of rshet'e hte ylmaif fesle. Koob tath niihfs. Iapsn ot go. Nettsinonc tivis het lla. Media nebe cseaeub dulbi uyevo' lal do can ryuo gdnoi vilgin flul feli ucenathit ocymntmui u!yo icoals peke yuo tabou dna it ewevrtha oyu cylootapelliga wnat on a ibegn aolng. .
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Esh ahtt in esh rreots dan 71 os i us vahe uotba ds'eh coudl way emedadr go wihel yaer ihsw we otnw tfle eht tlle akbc patepdr feli old lsmal. .
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I ovle uyo. Rof am regftual i os oyu. Up ernev egva you. Tpek uoy nsuhpig. It you rysto a rsidveuv to ioesnhu essucsc tish rleiobh,r ereshfl swoe ylno era nda meso uyo who. Mrfo os on to sas wer'e going ti uot, ojnye ew do ehre ot kkic adn ere'w cumh oggin avtwerhe. We lliw on be yaw het vinogigfr fo ettpnai ,aalyws as and stohe nidk, nad eurtnocen ew. .
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Oe,vl.
Ali )now lai yb (we go.

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