I was inspired to do this by Liz, who penned a time capsule of her thoughts.  Here is my thought time capsule at 28 years, 5 months, and 22 days.

On Politics:  It is obvious by now that I go through ‘cycles’ with politics.  I care a lot for a period of time, and then I grow apathetic and stop caring.  And then the cycle renews itself.  My cyclical ‘falling out’ with politics used to really bother me, but I guess that’s just the way I am.  I currently care a great deal, especially about women’s issues (food for thought: aren’t ‘women’s issues’ really just society issues?).  That being said, I really wish we had a woman running for president.  Don’t you think it’s time a woman is in charge of the USA? 

On Money:  I have come to understand that the more money you make, the more money you spend unless you are super careful.  Goal for 2013 is to break this cycle.  Especially since I’m going to make way less as a stay-at-home-momma.  Also – having a baby is way cheaper than I thought it would be, mostly because we go out a lot less, and it evens out.

On Technology:  Thank goodness for my iPhone. That is all.

On Motherhood:  Being a mom is so much more awesome and amazing that I ever could’ve imagined.  I love Henry so much it hurts.  Motherhood is very challenging in many, many ways, but the good far outweighs the bad.  And it’s so cool to watch him grow up and develop new mental and physical skills. I spend a lot of time thinking about how to be a good mother once we get beyond the baby stage – how to instill important lessons in Henry and teach him to be a kind and compassionate person.  I usually find myself thinking about these lessons when I’m up at 4 AM, trying to rock him back to sleep.  I gotta keep my eyes on the prize – or I’d go crazy with sleep deprivation.

On Marriage:  I have realized that the most important decision of your life is who you marry, if you choose to get married.  I almost got engaged to someone before I met Kristien, and my life would’ve been totally different if I had married that person.  We were so incompatible in so many ways, but because I was young and in love, I brushed aside those differences.  The truth is that even a happy marriage is super hard at times.  Especially since having Henry, Kristien and I have both really begun to realize how much work it takes to maintain a happy and healthy relationship.  Both people really have to try. For us, it’s been important not to ‘keep score’ or else resentment inevitably grows.  I used to think that true love didn’t require work. 

On Friendship:  I am very close to three women – Sarah, Lauren, and Nicole – and although I don’t get to see or talk to all of them as much as I would like, I truly value them so much.  The best thing about all three of these women is that they support without judgment.  How rare is that in a friend?

On Food:  My diet has never been so limited in my entire life (no dairy and no gluten due to sensitivities and the impact that has on Henry via breastfeeding). I am SO SO SO bored with food.  I usually get so much pleasure from grocery shopping and cooking and eating but these days, it feels like such a chore. 

On Childbirth:  I think about my birth experience at least once a week. When I was planning for a drug free birth, so many people told me not to obsess over the birth experience because I couldn’t control it, and that it didn’t matter in the long term.  But my positive experience was so important for me; delivery taught me how strong and resilient I could be when push came to shove (pun intended).  The experience was very difficult, but everything worked out, and I really do feel like I can do anything I set my mind to now.  It was such a transforming moment for me as an individual and wife.  I know not everyone has the same feelings about birth as I do, but if you do want to go drug-free, definitely educate yourself and go for it.  If things work out, it is so amazing and empowering.