Did you continue to follow that dream, as you became an adult?
I can remember going through several distinct phases of wanting to be different things when I grew up. Although as I look back I do not remember the particular order that they crossed my mind… but I do remember spending many afternoons as I escaped my reality, perched in the tree in the backyard reading and daydreaming about what each career might be like. I would go to the library and check out all the books that I could get my little hands on… I even faintly remember looking at the college catalogues to learn what these career choices had to offer me in helping create my future.
Things I wanted to be:
Architect
Veterinarian
Artist
Chef
Writer/Author
I think at some point my imagination became so fluid that I wanted to combine all of them together into one. (So things have not really changed much for me in this area). Even as a child I was always creating or building something, often this happened completely in my mind but it didn’t make it any less real for me. I spent most of my childhood using my imagination to explore; it was what helped me get through the difficult times and gave me a place escape to. Everything to me was a journey or an adventure. I always wanted to experience new things and see what I could learn from them.
I remember in kindergarten building with the big red bricks that were stacked in the corner of the classroom. These were boxes covered with corrugated paper that had the pattern of red bricks printed on them. I would create forts that had openings for windows and doors. I remember I would always build the walls as tall as I could reach. I also loved using large boxes (from a refrigerator or washing machine) and creating a little rooms for me, a place where I could hide and allow my mind to explore. I would imagine that this was my office or loft and I had many things to dream into existence.
This mindset also carried over into my two favorite toys … my Lincoln logs and Lego’s. I loved anything that I could use to build/create. When I would drag these out of their boxes I would always try to create the biggest building that I could, but often I would run out of pieces so the buildings never had roofs.
Then in high school I took a “test” that was to help me to determine the profession that I had the personality to excel in. The top two on the list were working in the clergy and being a mortician. It seemed the career coaching had failed me, what I really wanted to do was to be a chef. I wanted to open up a small coffee shop and make fabulous specials for lunch everyday. Create a yummy soup of the day and healthy vegetarian sandwiches and of course wonderful desserts. I wanted this to be a place that people could come together and relax and enjoy, giving them a safe place to explore their imaginations and share their ideas with other creative people. I also desperately wanted to be one of these artist that would have ideas to share. Creating a space for individuals to always be surrounded by creative people that enjoyed learning and experiencing the world through their eyes and imagination.
It was interesting while writing this and exploring all of the things that I have wanted to be throughout my life and then compared to the ones I have pursued. I realized that even now at 44. I still have not decided what I want to be when I grow up. There are just so many choices!