I've been listening to some archived episodes of This American Life. One of them is titled Plan B. "There's the thing you plan to do, and then there's the thing you end up doing. Most of us start off our lives with some Plan A which we abandon ... switching to a Plan B, which becomes our life."

I know people who are on track with their Plan A. I also know those who have been sidetracked onto their Plan B or contingency plan. I sit around wondering, "Plan? I was supposed to have a plan?"

I think the closest thing I had to a career plan were my responses to adults who asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. Librarian. Artist. Psychologist. Ice Cream Taster. For a while I told my mother I was going to be a millionaire. "How are you going to do that?" she asked thinking that I developed a strong sense of ambition and career plan. I'm sure you can imagine her reaction when I told her, "I'm going to win the sweepstakes."

I never really believed that I would win the sweepstakes and become a millionaire, but I liked to day dream about it. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to want what I couldn't have.

People still ask me what I would like to do job-wise. "Whatever won't make me feel like killing myself at the end of the day." Most people give a little chuckle and then get serious about it and ask again. The ones that immediately respond "good luck" without a hint of a smile make me wonder.

I think what I might consider my life plan would be an unwritten list in my head of things that I want to do before I die. They range from serious and career related (get an essay published) to silly and fun (sample every flavor of every ice cream sold on this island). Also on the list are things I still want, but know the chances are slim to none: Winning MegaBucks. Standing on the moon and watching Earth rise over its horizon.

Getting married was never on that list. Neither was majoring in English. Some of the most wonderful people I've ever known weren't on that list. I don't know if I'm on Plan A or B or wandering aimlessly, but I like where I am and where I'm headed.