Goals and Aspirations

I know that many people are spending the day reflecting on the past year. One blogger buddy (Allie), however, got me thinking about a time long long ago. In a recent post When I was a Youngin', she divulged that when she was a child she wanted to be a grocery store cashier as a child. It reminded me of higher aspirations I once had.

When I was about four, my godmother bought me a pair of certified Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader pom-poms. They were as big as me, fluffy, and snow white. I spent hours cheering my little heart out. My mother had been a cheerleader in high school, and I loved loved loved to parade around in her old uniforms (cinched up) with those giant pom-poms. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would cheerfully respond, "A cheeleader." (Yes, the "r" was left off on purpose.) I did manage to attain that goal (though not as a profession). I was a cheerleader in junior high then on the dance team in high school.

Then, when I was in the 1st grade, we were asked to create/draw a book about our lives. We had pages designated to draw in our family, our homes, what made us happy or sad, and even what we wanted to be when we grew up. On the career page, I drew a very exaggerated rendition of a very yellow school bus. Yes, by the 1st grade I wanted to be a school bus driver. Why? I adored the driver on the route of one of my friend's. Her name was Miss King. She was so much nicer than my bus driver. I loved it when I was invited to this particular friend's home after school because it meant riding with Miss King. She would even let us rotate who sat up on the control panel beside her. Oh, certainly not legal now (possibly not then) I'm quite sure. I admired her daughter getting to ride on that bus everyday with her mother.

The bus driver gig was one goal I never did reach. I don't drive anything larger than my husband's 4-door Mitsubishi Mirage. I have a sports car if that says anything. Maybe that should have been my goal - a race car driver.

When I reached high school, I knew that I wanted to be a writer. I went to college and got a degree in Professional and Technical Writing (now an MA in the subject as well). I am a writer, not quite as I had anticipated, but a writer nonetheless (technical and web content). A far cry from the cheeleader or bus driver dreams.

But am I done? No, I think that I also want to be a Personal Trainer. I'm not setting any deadlines for that goal. But maybe 2010 will be a good time to start working on it.