Twenty Years

Twenty Years. That is the time difference between those two photos. 

On the left, you have a happy 18-year-old who is about to graduate high school

On the right, you have me from a couple of weeks ago.


The years have flown by so fast that I'm not even sure they really all happened. When I realized this morning that it had been twenty years since I graduated from high school, it surprised me. I'd have thought that it would have been something more significant - that twenty year mark.

But it's not. 

Here I am, at the office, doing a day job that I would have never seen myself in. Thinking about the edits on my next novel even though I was told writing wasn't a viable career. I have a mortgage, a car payment, I live in a place that past me thought was a horrible place to live - and I mostly love it here. 

Life has veered me on to a far different path than I had dreamt of back then. Unexpected paths. So, I wanted to do a little Then/Now comparison. 

Then - Lived near Vancouver, British Columbia

Now  - Living near Red Deer, Alberta

Then - Didn't have a driver's license

Now  - Has a license and a car payment.

Then - Wanted to work in biotech research

Now  - Working in the oilfield and as a published author
(Hey, younger me, how could you ignore how much you hated lab work???)

Then - Single

Now  - Single
(I guess some things never change!)

It's not much of a comparison. A few basic things. A lot of which are things that I would expect to change. I'm certainly not anywhere that I would have thought I'd be back then. Not physically or professionally. I'm okay with that.

There are a few things that I would have liked to have done differently, but then I might not be where I am today. I like where I am today. It's not perfect. Some days are a struggle, but I'm happy.

And when it comes down to it, happy is the most important thing that I could ever possibly be. Past me didn't know that. I'm glad I know it now.