The Time Capsule: Opening Up 2000 in 2012

Me and the College Kid with the Time Capsule

 Twelve years ago we made a Time Capsule and we have carried our makeshift tube of information from Virginia to Alabama with the express purpose of wanting to open it on New Year's Eve in 2012. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about opening it. We each had put in a goal and resolution which I thought I'd probably not achieved. The thoughts of facing that unmet goal freaked me out. Still, I had to face this capsule even if it meant facing my failure. Because only through trying and risking failure will we find success.

Where's the Polly Pocket?(College Kid retrieved it a few years ago).

The College Kid was in first grade when we made the capsule. She loved Polly Pocket and Disney and exploring. The Physicist was growing his career with the government. I was a Stay-at-Home Mom with dreams I'd yet to fulfill. But being a mother and handling all the Commander-in-Chief House duties kept me busy and happy.

Throughout the years many things changed. Three of our parents have passed away. Friends have passed away as well. We moved to Alabama and I'm still adjusting to the changes. My daughter grew up and flew away to college. My husband's career rose which means he's traveling more and more. And I have been actively pursuing my elusive dream of publication.

 The College Kid and I opened the capsule. Inside there was a newspaper with a headline about the Baltimore Ravens's push for the Super Bowl. Political news about Clinton also screamed in the headlines. The Polly Pocket my College Kid stuffed in there had been retrieved--she confessed--shortly after she had stuck it in the capsule. And there were three single sheets of paper with our hand written notes.

The more things change, the more they remain the same:
The Physicist's resolutions match in 2000 and 2012.  

 Here is the Physicist's page. His favorite character was, and still is, Bugs Bunny. His favorite singer was Garth Brooks. His favorite TV Show was Who's Line is It and Golf. Who's Line is canceled. Golf, unfortunately--or fortunately--depending upon who you are in this house, is not. He still works for the same company. And he makes a bit more money now. His new year's resolution is the same this year as it was in 2000: Lose weight and get into shape. Maybe this will be the year he conquers that beast!

And so the more things change, the more they remain the same for him.

As usual, I'm introspective,
but when I read this I was happy with how far I'd come.

She still wants to be a Disney Imagineer.
Dreams evolve, but they never have to stop being dreams.

Next up? My sheet. Favorite books? I still love Nora Roberts and just about any Harlequin Presents book I can get my paws on. My ambitions were simple: become a travel writer and/or write one book (maybe). Becoming a travel writer was laughable. I am so not a detail oriented person and setting is to this day my last layer of writing in my manuscripts. But did I write that book? Not that year. But I did write one in 2005 and I haven't looked back. I started small and I've grown. My new year's resolution: to become focused on my personal and academic growth as a writer. To have a better sense of who I am and where I am going and how I am getting there. Pretty introspective. But I do know who I am now. I am a writer. And I know where I am going. And my goals have gotten much more refined throughout the years.

I saved the College Kid's page for last. For she wrote it when she was so young and her life was just an acorn waiting to become a tree. Her favorite singer was Britney Spears, she loved watching The Wild Thornberry's, and her favorite movie was the current Disney film The Emperor's New Groove. Now she's into indie music, Super Natural is her favorite television show (and other creepy shows, too, like American Horror), and she's into watching endless hours of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Her resolution was smart: to go see Opa and Oma. And she did see them. And finally, her dream. What did she want to be when she grew up? An animator. You know what? That has evolved into becoming an Imagineer for Disney or a Visualization expert for television and film. Her dream evolved, but the core? It's still the same.

So this was our Time Capsule: Dreams captured, careers evolving, people growing and changing. What were your dreams? Did they change? Did you change? And do you believe that dreams can transform you even if reaching them might be impossible?