When I was in kindergarten I made up my mind about what I wanted to be when I grew up. Unlike most girls my age who aspired to be recording stars, actresses, and dancers, I wanted to grow up to drive a big rig.
This could’ve been me.
Maybe it was the thought of leaving my small town behind and seeing the world. Maybe I longed for an office with a moving view. Maybe it had something to do with blowing the big horn. I dunno? (You! Get your mind out of the gutter!).. ..
In the eighth grade, my passions shifted. After watching a video about water purification in Mr. Simpson’s science class, I no longer wanted to be a truck driver. My new dream was to wear a lab coat and be a water chemist. The next week sign-ups began for our freshman year in high school. I decided to take the chemistry track. BAHAHAHAHA!!! Let’s just say, my dreams were toasted by Bunsen Burners and lost in the confusion of the Periodic Table. I would’ve looked hot in a lab coat though. Maybe I should be a water chemist for Halloween 09. Not a bad idea.
In a couple of months I will turn 28. I have never driven a big rig or worked in water purification. The closest I came to reaching my dreams was marrying a truck driver and braving a few public swimming pools over the years.
I often wonder about the childhood dreams of others. Did Mother Teresa know from age five that she would someday change the world with her inherent goodness? Did Adolph Hitler color pictures in pre-school of swastikas and fantasize about executing millions of innocent people? Did Tom Cruise dream of being an astronaut and wound up as a space cadet instead?
In June, I’m starting over and going back to school. Maybe someday I’ll decide again what I want to be when I grow up and actually achieve it. I’ll keep ya posted…
Did you have any jacked-up aspirations as a kid? Are you a jacked-up adult as a result of them? Did you know that Starbucks uses triple-filtered water? Have you ever played the Trucker Honk Your Horn game?
