Pre-Teen Dichotomy

I couldn't help myself. This morning when I peeked in the girls' room I just had to share it with you. My niece is here for the week. She is twelve... as in the real twelve... not twelve going on twenty. She brought her cell phone and her doll.

Her visit reminded me of something. I different time when I wanted to be somewhere else.

In July 1999 I sat on the sweltering wood dune steps overlooking Lake Michigan. I was with my nieces. My older niece was 6. She said she wished I lived in Michigan. I looked at her and told her I would... in about 2 years.

I have always loved my nieces like you love your own children. They were born to young parents and I spent the first year and a half of my oldest nieces life still at home... and was able to spend a lot of time with her. Then I went to college and stayed working in New York. I was always heartbroken to be missing out on their lives. So when she said she wished I was in Michigan I wished it too and I wanted to make that come true.

I couldn't have known all the things that would come to pass in the following two years. Not even a week later I met Mr F. I had a job and a life. But two years and one week after I had that talk with my niece... Mr F and I moved into our house in Michigan just a mile from my nieces.

And it isn't that I was trying to fulfill my two year promise. It just happened that way. I had actually completely forgotten about that foreboding conversation at the beach. But everything lined up. Of all the people I could have met and married... I met Mr F who didn't balk at leaving New York or moving his business. Moving to Michigan made perfect sense to him.

So my point is this... long before "The Secret" (which I have actually not read) or vision boards... having a direction for your life can lead your life to that outcome. I really believe that. And so I will be thinking of New York (or maybe DesMoines or Madison... or Rome...).