What I want to be when I grow up

18 Days. That's how much time I have left to get married, have two kids and a dog, finish (and start) grad school, and have the job of my dreams. And a 401(k).

Whatever.

As I round out the last year of my 20s (ok officially this will be my Third Decade celebration because it sounds cool, but thereafter I will set my status to 29 and just keep repeating it)

Wow, long sentence. Starting over.

As I round out the last year of my 20s, I have had many horrible terrible awful thoughts coursing through my head. What am I doing? Where am I going with this life? Why am I still single? It's pathetic how most of the people who took my Facebook "How well do you know me" quiz thought that what I wanted most for my 30th birthday was a husband. And you know what, I was totally fine being single until I realized that everyone else is wondering why I'm still single.

But that's not the point of this blog. The point is that I'm writing this at work, on my lunch break, thinking "Oh God, why oh why can't THIS be what I get paid to do today?" The point of this blog is that I'm realizing for like the 38th time that I actually have yet to figure out how to become what I want to be when I grow up.

I'm still 10 years (and 18 days) away from my one and only life goal: To be a college professor by the time I'm 40. I'm not one for 5-year plans. I made this one back when I was only 20. And I like it, because I firmly believe that going from college to grad school to teaching college isn't always the best for the teacher or the students. I want to approach classes with the understanding that I've been out there, I've lived, I've "done life" and now I'm teaching others how to do it. So technically I'm still in my 20-year plan, doing just fine.

But how do I get from 30 to 40? Because the secret caveat to my 20-year plan is that I'd be a published author by the time I begin teaching other people how to write. I mean, come on, I need credentials. I need to be able to say that I have actually been there, done that, and millions of people have bought MY T-shirt.

This post is going to be open-ended, because I don't know how I'm going to get from 30 to 40. But I know that if I keep finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary, somehow my little life will change, and my 20-year plan will unfold like a butterfly from a chrysalis.

At least, that's my fervent prayer.