growing - part 2

So, I can't stop thinking about this theme on growing. Today, after I cried for an entire session at the physical therapist's office, and then cried again when another package came in the mail for Mia, it dawned on me what a large part of my internal conflict has been since I moved here five years ago. For some reason, I expected growth to take on a standard, regular path, where you sit first, crawl, stand, walk, run, and eventually fly :) As it turns out, to my dismay, life doesn't work that way. Here is a list of things which I find interesting and unexpected in my 37th (Alas, did I just say that aloud on the net??) year of life, regarding growth:

Things I thought I would be doing:
get a doctorate
land a job in an university as Dr. Heidi
move to a small town on the east coast where my university post would be
enjoy a quiet life of music making and academia
own a house with a fabulously wild English garden
own a car, crappy as it may be, I'd be able to drive it freely
have a supportive community around me who shares similar beliefs (MY beliefs)
be a strong female role model for my students and all other impressionable young lassies around

Things I AM doing instead:
learning how to drive (after 21 years of driving)
trying to pass the written driving test, for the THIRD time
figuring out what it means when people refer to my 'culture' and my 'country'
trying to plot out where Luxembourg and Andorra are on the map
learning how to be seen and heard
learning how to shop for fruits and vegetables without being ripped off at the market
trying to get on and off the metro without being shoved and pushed
learning to stand up for myself when people try to cut in front of me

the list continues, it feels like re-birth (renaissance?) at the age of 37. It's all good, keeps me on my toes, alive, and always alert.

p.s. oh yes, to add onto the second list: motherhood