Declarations for the Decade

Here's an exercise I shared with my Wildfire Women students last week. You've just completed a decade of life, the first decade of the 21st century. Think of it as a journey. You've acquired gifts, souvenirs, talismans. Perhaps you've picked up some useless baggage as well.

As you prepare to board your flight home, you must visit the customs counter and fill out a Customs Declaration Form.

So write a list or paragraph about what you've gained over the past ten years, materially, figuratively or spiritually. Be silly or solemn or any way you want.

From my own journey, in random order: One antique sofa, two sunburns, a trek in the Swiss Alps, a brother-in-law, two sisters-in-law, six backpack trips, one deathbed good-bye kiss, two driver's ed students, a nephew, an achilles injury, 100,000 miles on my odometer. And I find the list goes on.

Other questions on the Customs Declaration Form:
What is the estimated value of this item? and
What is the purpose of your journey?

Tell me, what do you have to declare?