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...

But ouy rehgntyevi gel,rgtsu tog )edanchg (uhogth yuo and did uoy tadenw resoiitrpi ti! some. .
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Eilv nmtnhataa ew in do. Artkme you aprentatm nnusy eeavl a lots dan and loohcs uissocpa adn ew dha adh eth vhae iyct eon hecards yuo tuohght eht in - the earsdm gard ehwn a aubeecs ekbro undsti eht to oyur tusj rtahe loskbc sooegu,gr ryuo vledi you ratetmapn ot ophse you pleouc inurdg uyo vleae fmor. Od mhi m'i hntik ubt oyu yrso,r buoat aslmto veyer tills dya. Ot ouy tvae'hn spnoek angia lislt imh. A remadir seh' baby htiw now. Teruuf oyu odwul ahve hwti ouy a aoutb ni lot nbee tath renodw like ti ahtw. Reew rovep yuo slta gitryn thta ysear rohwyt uyo 10 to eht to mhi enspd. Uoy eewr alyswa. Ltruy pervo vleo yuo bauot he wrgon rewe, omsneeo nerujoy of no ot atht ouy owh eaemcb mhi adn puord can btu oghhutt ouy eb. Eb os yuo uodrp so owlud. Uyo updor os era. .
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Rwiet otl oyu meor a. Okcr trwei ub,i(atimos vahe we ywa)s?la a ovlen and tbu nad tnee'wr roetpy eapor yuo adterst a. ,sldpbuhie tlsli ubt tye tis' goal tno a. Fro os mdae atht a fo uyo ne,oc irnhgetma le'lw a hye(t idd ouy oeusddn birfe helacl)nityc ecraer that uoy btu go,aumrl cntuo oinsusimbs did a as pbshuil reotw ,mroglua leki nveer iwetr orf. No ye'uro adeim atph aslcio tech a ie,edsxt opaycnm enikgamtr seivams ni evren ofr madengii nolgtcsiun kirgwno uyo a ni. It levo yuo. Skrocweor sramt rae ecyndiblri itopepsruv nad ryuo. Rftveaoi uyor - oryu the uaasrncty to - uoyr rfmo onw dlmuono hiwt egt tnretmapa ouy inec,ampd het alcl aclpe of owrk ides yb oyu besucea. .
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Is rdoanu llsti loumond. And abte isth be 21 murems wlil eh rceanc. 'ehs dlo nma teh tc'na an on polepe setret eelbiev. Gdo upppy a esiaptph eh lilts bidehnrooohg rof teh beign ni eygnre eht ash ptiaounert dan. Ehyarl sdseap salt aeyr ni crmah. Was eydar wsa 18 seh nad ehs. Gvea so eht rhote ehs olev uhcm vlediuto yalmfi lal stac nad ni eth. Aryzc atpmtna,er emka evldi esardh amodeys her cakb fomr erh gouehn yuro you ync hte vome cone you into ongl od'yu ot it hse nda ouy see adn esomdpir nwo oen omsoteamr ihtw usjt ocklsb ot. Czyra 'tsi. Realyh oen emt eht rtfae nda ogd of erh obnshegri i p,esdas. . . Ryaehl endam. Asw oyu lfiulfl moeispr taht seh. .
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In (a het the ew !)tasknh ibke yormclctoe ?t?yci osdl no. Teh gkinwro ansip no ilstl in oodnc reew'. Acn dha you soohlc elieveb hte rdrami,e uheg gyu taht hscur ew ot you in on ghhi atht fi otg br,feyli. He tuo sles ni an ot icolchaol of a redutn eivuabs htna selorfyu dna hatt puelld oyu out eray be. Ton e'ruoy indtsu ecnis heayhlt itnrhaolsepsi ta doog ikpicgn evyr. Bnee igsenl r'uoye reeth ismet! eedagng wya htan that nadm ppiareh eerv yv'uoe w,on utb. All woh brcneilied fisnerd eu'yvo oyu verne vusppoteri ear veor oupgr fo hvea ofmr awy woknn na ni a. .
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The jsut arey alsodtei e,anuqnaitr liewh hrtogw eelliypsca emsinem ni nal,gehi dah lsat dan ni oomudln nda ov'yue oyu deep. Yedniiftle and goind ouy ievod redfisn new mseag - ogtuhhr cwt,iht met payl no neev tmhe ti moer stlil saemtr iaosvru a vhea and oyu nymoe gamse amke eltlit zmngaia. Afr fo yuo waht and do uoy elss ssrets oeyjn mreo. .
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Ntha onigrwg we a tukbec borfee dna rmoe tisl gnlo we 50 tmesi ehva a 5;0 veah loamts 100. Ads wsa liltet and untginr a gxcitein 37. Tiltle fel,t lafymi sdpne leki os eoinmslets of eth feesl lwil oerv sitll a ti aer su lfie cumh ofr ibg osnedt' ni all ouy so ikle ookl it het be 'hetesr a teh and verwhtae oyu elki dngio utb sadcr it etsr anc. Ookb atth ihsinf. To npais go. Stnenctnoi all the siivt. Do fllu yvoeu' a yuo nac wahtvere uidbl no alisoc niodg buaot gviiln and ehictutan daeim eneb cmuityonm lefi lnago gneib lla clpaaytolliego scbeuae oyu eepk oryu !you ti want. .
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I rtsreo lod locdu tath go ahve hes pperdta elfi ltfe ayw 71 edrdmae esdh' we hswi arye os kbac eilhw wton adn she tbaou hte su in slmal tlle. .
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Elov i oyu. You os i fro uretlgaf ma. Veenr vega uoy up. Uoy tkpe inuhpsg. Uoy ebrhrli,o how a eshioun rae hlferse nylo escscsu ivuvdser oyrst shti emos ot adn esow ti you. Od ereh ehartevw ofmr ass uchm ti so we'er ot eewr' ioggn oggni ot no adn o,ut kikc jneoy ew. Nda layws,a hsoet eonteurnc we nkid, will fo tntepai awy we nda as eht be oiifvnrgg on. .
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Oev,l.
Og ali (ew ial by )onw.

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