The plan I had

Some years ago now, I was challenged to write a 10 year plan,
if for nothing else but to devise direction,
but it left me disappointed
in its lack of dreams,
each milestone marked by dollars saved,
and children made,
albeit that felt like lofty goals,
aspiring for prosperous normalcy
and stability.

Here I am, 8 years later,
homeowner, married, fathered, naturalized,
in a new city with a great circle of friends,
career a little askew,
fitness a little off track,
and though some token goals
on that 10 year plan
have gone unanswered by year 8,
what I have experienced and achieved
far exceeds my expectations
and imaginations;

I thought I’d set lofty goals,
but had I known how I’d smash
right through them,
only to discover a reality much richer,
one of our own making,
one shared,
as I had prayed it would be
that night long ago when I stared alone
at the beauty of the moon.