Camp near Menzies, WA, Australia

They all sat in the backyard. They'd been sitting around the fire for a few hours now, telling stories and enjoying s'mores. This was their campground for the night. Their faces flickered in the flames flying skyward from the little Smokey Joe in the middle. Dwight looked around at the people he loved. His wife, Jean, laughed long and loud. She always had, and that's one of the things he'd always loved about her. His beautiful daughter Hilary (whom this very narrator has a huge crush on) blew out a burning marshmallow and peeled off the burnt outer layer before setting it ablaze again. Her husband, Matt (the lucky bastard), struggled to pull stringy marshmallow leftovers out of his beard. Meghan and Matthew, two of Jean's family's cousins (although distantly and awkwardly related), sat somewhat silently but with huge ear-to-ear grins. Dwight noticed how late it was getting, but he suddenly felt inspired.

"Before we climb into the tent for bed, everybody has to chug an Amp energy drink," Dwight said. His challenge was gladly accepted by Matt (the bearded fool of whom I harbor so much envy) and Matthew, the younger of the two cousins. The three boys chugged energy drinks and climbed into the tent. It had been a long day, and, energy drinks be damned, they were all very tired. Everyone slipped off to sleep without a moment's hesitation, thinking that perhaps Amp energy drinks weren't so potent after all.

That is, until about 3:30 in the morning.

"uuhhhhhHHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHARGH!" Everyone in the tent was violently awoken by a sudden scream.

"What the hell was that?" Hilary asked, groggily.

"I think it was your dad," cousin Matthew said.

There was a moment of silence before Dwight said, "It's okay, everybody. Daddy just had a bad dream. Go back to sleep." More silence.

Matt (the bearded one) lay on his back, shaking in fear. What could have possibly affected such a manly man so deeply? What could Dwight have to fear? And how was he supposed to sleep now? Sure, he hadn't the dream, which had obviously been terrifying for Dwight. But what's scarier? To have such a dream and to wake up? Or to be so violently awoken by the terror in someone else's voice?

But who was Matt kidding? That was one of the most hilarious things he'd ever seen. What was really scary was thinking about what Dwight might do to him when he found out how much Matt liked to tell that story to everyone he knew.

Harry Potter costumes

I suppose, technically, I could read any book over and over again. But I think the question is: What book would I really want to read repeatedly? That's easy. I could read any of the Harry Potter books as many times as I could make time. They're so good.

And that's all I have to say about that one.

When I first met my friend Mallory Roth, I accidentally asked her what she wanted to do after college. I was barraged with reasons why such a question was utterly ridiculous. I quickly repented and begged her forgiveness.

I got to thinking about what she had said, and it reminded me of something. Right after the new year kicked off, as I sat at the Coffee Ethic, enjoying a cup of the house and reading, this random dude approached me from the Springfield Free Press. He told me that he was taking a poll and was curious what people intended to do or change about the coming year. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I hope I make it through." Something that was then quoted in the paper and made me the "most famous person" my mailman knows, which he likes to remind me of often.

So, with those two experiences in mind, I have to insist that this question is both ridiculous and surprisingly well-worded. Most of the time, when someone asks a question of this nature, it is centered on what someone wants to do with the next ten years. That kind of question is a waste of my time. I don't even know what I want to do today; how the hell am I supposed to be able to predict 10 years into the future?!

But this question is a little different. It asks, what will life be like in ten years. I may not know the details of what I'll be doing or where I'll be living, but I can say that I hope my life in ten years is filled with love, community, and beauty. I can say that I want to be a person who incarnates Grace to everyone I meet. I can say that I want more patience with and more indignation against injustice.

I can't tell you what I want to do in the future, but I can tell you what kind of person I want to be.