tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70938932103214964392011-04-21T19:25:37.404-03:00Thoughts of a Drifter...Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278180670702431007noreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093893210321496439.post-29626748535497474842011-02-12T21:10:00.000-04:002011-02-12T21:41:29.636-04:00What Plan?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">"The Plan"</span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ra7QO_5148/TVc0sYS0YxI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/Ba63raSyKQE/s1600/business-plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 226px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 248px;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="228" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ra7QO_5148/TVc0sYS0YxI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/Ba63raSyKQE/s320/business-plan.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Expected time line = 10 years</span></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Graduate high school</span></div></li><li><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Obtain my pharmacy/medicine degree</span></div></li><li><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Get married</span></div></li><li><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Buy house</span></div></li><li><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Have kids</span></div></li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1998:</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Graduated high school with honors - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Got into top university for pharmacy/medicine - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Completed first year university on Dean's list - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tragic car accident leading to death of family member - ??? That wasn't in the plan.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1999:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Moved overseas to attend even better university for degree and to start over - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Car accident causing neck and back injury - ??? That wasn't in the plan.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Doctors advised to pursue a different academic focus that did not require neck and back strain (tedious long hours in a lab). I switched my major to Commerce and decided to do a double-major in Accounting and Finance. Needed a new 'plan'.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Continue neck and back rehabilitation for next 10 years - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Work part-time, rehabilitate part-time, study part-time - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2001:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mother diagnosed with breast cancer - ??? Again, not in the plan.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Drop out of school for a couple semesters to care for mother - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Married at young age of 20 - ??? You know where this is going.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Continued school in later part of year part-time while working full-time - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2002-2008:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Continued to work part-time and study part-time on scholarship - check</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Husband got promoted and provided us with more income. Security established - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After many years, finally graduated with distinction and honors - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Secured reputable job at firm doing what I spent years studying - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2008:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Diagnosed with chronic disease and unable to do my job - ??? Huh? After all that work?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Kept changing jobs trying to find a flexible job that supported a balanced life style - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Symptoms under control - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bought our first home with sound down payment to avoid heavy debt - check.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Things are falling into place again...</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2010:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Husband is laid off from job he has had for over 13 years - ??? Not in plan.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Symptoms become erratic due to stress - ??? Not looking good.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Forced to quit my job - ??? Not looking good.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pregnant late in the year - ??? Nothing is in place, how are we going to do this?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong>2011's New Year Resolution: No Plan</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My husband obtained work with an income able to support us both in the short-term. Though I am a little lost without a plan this year, I feel great. I don't know what I am doing and I don't know where I will be at the end of the year. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I know this - Sometimes not having a plan is the only plan that can get you through all the challenges you're forced to face while still maintaining a thread of your sanity. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am scared of the unknown, but I am also excited about the possibilities...</span><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7093893210321496439-2962674853549747484?l=thoughtpops.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278180670702431007noreply@blogger.com0