The J Stands for...Awesome!: Revisiting the Past

I've always had this picture in my head, of how I'd like my life to be when I get older, when I've finally landed a career doing something that supplies enough money to fund my life. It's kinda stupid and will probably never happen, but it's nice to have dreams in mind to work toward.

I'd like to pursue music or art, but neither pays well unless you hit it big.

I'd like to live in the city for awhile, to see what it's like...I've always lived in a small town and have enjoyed going to the a big city.

I'd like to get in great physical shape, a road that I'm on but that will take a while.

I'd like, as you know from previous posts, to be able to grow a beard: if not that, at least some 5'o'clock shadow for cryin' out loud.

And...I'd like to find someone who appreciates me for who I am as a person, someone who'll respect and love me for me, not for what I can do, or, more importantly, what I can do for them. It seems like all my friendships are based around those things. And I'd like to change that, but, again, that's unlikely to happen.

I redrew the picture to see if my perception of my hopes and dreams would change at all, but not much has. I lost a lot of the random things: I've grown up and experienced a lot since the last picture: grown more...serious...about many things. And maybe, just maybe, in a few years, I'll update it again. Who knows? It's nice sometimes...to revisit the past...to see what's changed, but what's even more rewarding is to see that even after bumps, bruises, and backstabs...you can still stay true to yourself. I only hope I can retain that for the rest of my [insert adjective here] life.

P.S. If you look hard enough at the beacon on top of the Space Needle, you'll notice it's a different shape. Have a guess at what it is.

2008