Plan C: Chapter V

Plan C: The Joy of Daily To-Dos

Lizzie watched the passing train and took a bite of her sandwich. A year ago today she had sat in a bus as it brought her home. She remembered that day well. Mainly the overwhelming feeling of failure. But that was a year ago. That girl, thankfully, no longer existed. The year had morphed her into someone else. Someone who no longer felt the bitter pangs of failure but felt more…what word could describe it? Successful wasn’t the exact word because she was still a work in progress. No, what she felt now was confidence. And she felt pity for that unsure girl from a year ago and wished she could give her some encouragement. It was a process, emphasis on process, but she felt like for the first time in probably her entire adult life her feet were firmly planted on the ground. It was ironic that the ground her feet were firmly planted on was in her hometown. The town she was so eager to leave at one time.

She watched the train and for some reason she couldn’t quite explain, it brought her peace. Even though she no longer felt the need to yell at the train anymore something about the place now calmed her. Matt gently teased her that only she could find peace while watching a loud, fast moving train go by.

She couldn’t argue.

He knew enough to recognize this as a personal day for her. She knew he was probably aware she was there but he didn’t come out and join her. He let her have her space.

“I miss you, dad,” she said softly. “I wish we had more time.” She nodded. “But that’s on me.” That was her biggest regret. Because it took her so long to move home she had so little time with him before he passed away. His health continued to decline after their South Pass trip last summer but he was a fighter. He made it all the way to November before finally letting go.

Since she had started her podcast, Matt gave her the idea for her to record her dad telling stories about his life. While she managed to get quite a few recordings, it was obvious his health was fading. He wasn’t the same vibrant papa bear she had known her whole life. So, she gave the recordings to Matt to hold onto and edit. She couldn’t listen to them. At least, not yet. Maybe someday.

Her podcast had grown quite a bit. It started with an old case file she found while cleaning the basement of Matt’s law office but she had also done a few others about women doing impressive things. Learning about and discussing women from the past that accomplished so much despite numerous hardships had been good for her. It had helped shape and form that confidence. Or, as her dad called it, moxie. The topic of confident women of the past really started to gain some attention and because of that she got a call from Harold, her New York agent, again. Apparently, he wasn’t lying when he said he had connections in Salt Lake because he actually had a couple of possible job prospects for her. That is how, after she thought she had to say goodbye to any possible acting career, she found herself voicing the character of a new but popular cartoon. It was perfect because she could do most of the work remotely in Wyoming and only had to travel to Salt Lake for promotional events and meetings. She was able to do what she loved and still live at home.

The doors had finally opened. Her work on the series had been singled out an praised. Offers were starting to come in on a regular basis. Not in the way she had once dreamed. Turns out she wasn’t destined to be the next Lucille Ball but she could be the next Nancy Cartwright. No, she had come too far to slip into somebody else’s shoes. She was going to be the first Liz Carter – not Lisbeth Cartier – but simply Liz Carter.

It grew quiet and still after the train had passed. She was done with her sandwich and dusted the crumbs off her shirt. There were quite a few things on her daily to-do list that she needed to start marking off. It was an empowering feeling to keep her days filled with worthwhile activities. Her daily to-do lists involved things that she chose to do not just filled with things she had to do. She would get to her list but first she’d stop in and say hello to Matt and make plans for their evening. If she wasn’t mistaken – and she knew she wasn’t – it was his turn to buy dinner.

Sure, at one time, she never would have imagined she would be happy living back in her hometown. This was not her plan. But here she was, happy, working in the field she chose, and feeling connected. Not bad Plan C, not bad at all.