I’m told that life is full of sacrifice. The small bit of optimism in me wonders why it must be that way. Why do we give up our dreams… why do we put the wishes of our youth away? We grow up and we do what needs to be done. We lose those dreams for staunch resolution. Compromise and negotiation. Why are we conditioned to do what’s “needed” instead of what we want?
When we are children we have all of this wonderment. Naivety. Innocence. We want to be firefighters, astronauts, doctors, and cowboys. It’s so very easy to say. As kids, we just want it to happen. We don’t think of the training involved. We don’t consider what the starting salary would be, or how the profit sharing plan works. Children just want to wear the outfit and play the part.
My easy answer to life is to let people have the careers that make them happy. We’d all be cowboys, rock stars, and famous athletes instead of construction workers, grocery store managers, and bus drivers. We’d all sleep in as late as we wanted, ate what we wanted, and went to work when we were damn good and ready. But I know this is all too simple. We need people to build our homes, stock the shelves, and drive us downtown.
I’ve always wished that I could have a career that I loved. That I could come home and say,”What a great day! I finished my book and started another painting!”
But this is life. No matter how we try to have that perfect job, sometimes you do what is needed. Sometimes you tell yourself,”I’ll start this job, and I can write my book on the weekend… and I will be noticed and published and famous.”
I for one am not going to give up on my dreams. I have always been a daydreamer. I have always been a famous actor, artist, musician, writer, speaker, and problem solver. I deserve to be one of the few that when asked what I do for a living, I can straighten my neck, toss my shoulders back, and say,”What I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid.”
J-
