Jane Lynch speaking at Smith’s Commencement

“My counsel to you, women of Smith College? Let life surprise you. Don’t have a plan. Plans are for wusses. If my life went according to my plan, I would never, ever have the life I have today.”

— Actress and comedian Jane Lynch, 20 May 2012

When I was young, I used to continually map out my life. I had 5 year plans, 10 year plans, lists of what I was going to accomplish in my life by age 30, etc., etc. I was motivated. I was ambitious. And dammit, I was going to do it all!

In retrospect, the lists are mostly just hilarious– particularly a list of what I wanted in a romantic partner which included the gem, “Someone who likes Dawson’s Creek.” But I have done an awful lot of the things from those lists. Go to college in New England. Live in Italy. Travel a lot. Own a food dehydrator.

(In junior high school, I did convince my parents to order a Ronco food dehydrator from the infomercials on tv, which we used approximately 3 times before relegating it to a very special place in the basement in my parents’ house — where I do believe it still remains).

But it is true that the life I spelled out on those lists is very, very different from the life I have now, and I am so very glad.

Jane’s full speech is available here: