I can't pretend to know what's going to happen

My older sister plans everything (or, she used to. She lives in Africa right now, and I've heard it's pretty hard to have itineraries there). I have always envied her ability to fit so much activity into such a short amount of time. I always wonder if she knows what a "dull moment" is, because she's had something planned during all of the moments I've ever had the pleasure of spending with her. She's outgoing, social, enterprising, and sunny. She is an incredible human being, with credentials I just stand back and admire, slack-jawed.

I personally am a fan of not planning anything. In fact, I had a totally different blog post written, and then I sort of started ranting on this, so I deleted the other one and ran with it.

When I moved to DC, I came out to house-sit for my sister for 3 months. I took a leave of absence from my job that I was utterly in love with, and when they said "You're going to fall in love and never come back, aren't you?" I always had the same reply: "I can't pretend to know what's going to happen." I felt like my heart was split in two very distinct pieces. I had just gotten out of a relationship that ended on the "really crappy" side of the spectrum, so I wanted to get away. I love the East Coast, and moving out even for a few months was a really great opportunity. I had also just "met" one of my sisters acquaintances on Facebook, and was confident I would have at least one friend once I got out there. On the other hand, I felt like I was MADE for the job at the salon I was working at in Salt Lake. I was doing well, and building my clientele daily. My co-workers were my very best friends, and my family, and my everything. I got to live close to my grandma who is one of my greatest heros, and not getting any younger, and I was only 4 hours away from the rest of my family. Like I said, my heart was torn right down the damn middle. But, because I believe in adventure, and never saying no to an opportunity, I came to DC.

I was honest when I said I couldn't pretend to know what would happen, but I was also honest when I said I was coming out to house-sit for 3 months. After all, it takes longer than that to transfer a cosmetology license, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to make enough money to live on my own once my sister got back. I figured I'd be there 6 months, tops, before I had to stop mooching and get back to reality in Utah. So when I came out here, I mailed 2 boxes of things that reminded me of home, and I packed a suitcase and carry-on with clothes. My new Facebook friend picked me up at the airport, (at the risk of giving the whole story away, he had just gotten off a flight too, and I met him at baggage claim. He had a guitar, and tattoos and green eyes and brown hair, and I thought my plane must have crashed, because this had to be what heaven was like) needless to say,  I instantly knew it was going to be hard to go back to Utah.

Fast forward to now, and in 3 days, I will have been here for a year. I married the man that picked me up at the airport. My sister and her new boyfriend were our witnesses, and the ceremony was held just days before she went back to Africa for a several month stint to help Ghanaian women with their businesses. My husband and I moved just outside of Baltimore, and have a cute apartment and two dogs and we make music in our spare time. I will be honest, I miss my family like hell. I am so glad I took every opportunity to see them when I lived near. I miss my old Salon like no one should ever miss a job, but I would not trade this year for anything.

That was a pretty long-winded way of getting to the morale of my tale: Planning is not always what it's cracked up to be. Wake up in the morning, and instead of thinking "Ugh, I am not ready for this commute, and then sitting at my desk for 8 hours, and a stupid Slim-fast shake for lunch, and then I have to go home and see what the dogs chewed up" try waking up and thinking "I can't pretend to know what's going to happen." Because when you open  your mind up to LITERALLY every possibility, more of them become reality.