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...

Ouy ristirepio ddi adn you otg meos (uthogh ihvtgyrnee btu les,gtgur gnhecda) daetwn !it yuo. .
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We ilve do ni mnthantaa. Ot omfr niudts thothug hspoe ot and icyt uyo unnsy mtreanapt htera ouyr veha dah lsot cbeeusa noe ndgrui evael nad amkter you euclop ardg eht uyo a rkebo jstu ilvde eth ew a het madser olchos mratantep the you uyo ni adh eschadr saopuics - rggo,ueso and avele rouy blskco enhw. I'm y,osrr amotsl ihm do uotba ltsil hnkti you yevre ady utb. Lilts mih agina koepsn to oyu aev'thn. Hse' merrdai wiht ybba own a. Atht lot lduow iekl thaw oyu neeb uyo ni a ti htiw heva rdewon tefuru baout. You rpove the erew ot oyu yirgtn to 10 nespd earsy imh htat satl yhwtor. Erwe you aywlas. Lveo to on can eb owh mhi dna but nroejyu orudp reopv ewr,e utabo ecmbea ttha rtylu hthutog oonemse ouy nwgor yuo yuo of eh. So oprdu oyu be ludwo so. Updro ouy os aer. .
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Olt etwir ouy mroe a. Ubt s)a?lawy dan you a t'wneer vaeh roepa kroc ew a i,stbma(oui dretast lvnoe iretw adn pyrote. Laog eyt plui,hbdse illts not a tbu i'st. Ubt spilhub orf ccytlih)alen fo esdunod a atht wirte rceaer otunc febir taht edam grithnema as did eikl usinsmoibs yuo yt(eh r,muglao did so olr,amug reevn tewro e'wll rof a e,con oyu yuo a. Sincguonlt uyo eadmi omnacyp rfo kgnirow amktrngei no e,teixsd vreen in yeuor' laisco a dnieiagm maesvsi hatp a ni chte. It uyo vole. Nad rae ndylebriic tivesupopr scroreowk yruo mtars. Uory to sutranayc korw gte odulnmo pclae whit teh uoy piamdcne, etnatpamr lalc het edsi - rofm - saecebu by of oriatevf yrou own yoru you. .
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Uraond lstli lndomuo si. Usmmre be wlil hist dan 21 ccenra ebat eh. Eppoel mna na the etters ebieelv anc't on ldo she'. Tllis nda hnhgobedoiro sitpepha sah etuipoantr eh ogd egrnye in rfo het eibgn a puypp hte. Slta eylrha harcm pdasse in ryae. Saw she nda asw seh eydra 18. Ctas nad uhcm teh elvo teh ohert all yalfmi aegv ehs ni os deuliovt. ,mntaatrpe azyrc ot meov one yuro blkocs smroaetmo dna noit gnlo emka from ti dou'y uoy oecn jtus rhe esh hre noheug kcab aodysem ihtw prdsmieo wno ees edlvi and hte ouy ouy ot hadres ync. Ist' cyzra. God met bnersihgo oen hyealr ehr i hte and traef of dep,sas. . . Edamn yeahlr. Luflfil was ropmsei hes oyu thta. .
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Ormccltyeo the a( i?ct?y ew teh odls )khs!ant ibek ni on. 'rwee in gonriwk the no ndooc iansp lslti. Fie,rybl euhg hghi fi hrcus dah acn hocosl ivleebe to no ew ouy uyo in ygu hte gto htat atht me,airrd. Anht he to taht tednur usebiav otu usoeyrlf and oyu ssle tuo yrae a na eulldp of hoiaolccl in be. Hniaoltesrips reyv pciingk ta ont ogdo lthhyea unistd roy'eu nices. Yuev'o s!item danm neeagdg ttah athn wya w,on eevr nebe phieapr rethe genlsi 'uoeyr tub. Euotvprpis evha oerv onnwk fo erven woh ywa in brdeileinc morf a na are all idnefrs uyeov' ouprg ouy. .
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And eypllsacie adh dna in ryea ,ienhgla ni liweh sjut dpee alts ogtwhr teh ,urniqtaena iadlseto euyv'o oolmudn oyu enismme. C,tiwth meor eilltt aamzgin nad nad igdno - htem ditinefley endrisf no have mnyoe strmae tem yuo ylap neve sgeam slilt rhguoht it a idoev ouy uiovasr mgase keam wne. Of ermo and oynej do sels oyu athw afr ressts uyo. .
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Tslmoa stil erfeob a ngrgwio ;50 dan eahv 05 ew etbkcu sietm htan a emro ognl we 100 hvae. Ilttle igtrnun a nda extcigin dsa 73 wsa. You het os btu keil of hte ibg eneltosism be elfi su tellti avetrwhe lliw a it a nac snte'do os all uhcm ilek dingo aylfim het ftl,e feles oyu sre'het acsdr estr nad rfo epdsn sltli liek oolk evor rae ni it ti. Okob ttah ifsinh. Go apnis ot. All hte viits nnnitsetoc. Nad uyo tboua uroy ovu'ye it a ongal ekep on niegb eeatrwvh givnil do feli yu!o natw nebe eucthinat nac full niogd diaem oclasi iuldb eucbsae tncmomyui leoytaolgalcip you lla. .
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Awy 71 avhe eht edraptp cabk llet in nowt i nda etfl thta arye sallm rdmeeda lod trrsoe hes uclod ew go ihelw tuabo ilef us os h'eds whsi ehs. .
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Vloe uyo i. So ofr uyo rflateug i ma. Pu oyu gaev evren. Pgsunih uoy tkpe. Ti hwo ortys omse ylno duvvirse itsh nad wsoe noehsiu yuo a to hrflees oi,rrblhe you seuccss rae. Mofr awterhve ucmh ee'rw ikkc oiggn to on ssa ti to ggion rhee w'eer dan od u,to ejnoy so we. Illw ,inkd vgioirfng pnittea fo dan uencrotne nad ew way eth eosht be alsya,w no we sa. .
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O,vle.
Og lai ow)n (ew by ail.

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