That said, I can't help but think back to what I wanted to be when I grew up. As a very young kid, I wanted to be a scientist, and there was a phase when I wanted to be the first female Philadelphia Phillie! I was a weird kid. I always like to sing though, and from the age of 10 until about the age of 16 or so, I wanted to be this:
And you can quit laughing! Back in the day, Debbie Gibson was pretty cool! Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but when you're 11 and you dream about being a singer, someone who write all of her own songs and plays the piano and is famous for doing so and only a few years older then you is the coolest person in the world! I used to try my own hand at songwriting (and if you read this blog and know my style of writing, you'll know that the idea of me songwriting- especially as a tween- is hilarious!) knew all the dance moves to the Electric Youth video, and would dream of my future stardom! Of course, I quickly figured out that this, perhaps, was not the path for me. I still love to sing and perform, but true stardom was never in the cards! ;-)
Then for a while I considered journalism. I always loved the write and had a modicum of talent for it. I dreamed of covering sports, of all things! I was always a sports fan and as a writer, loved the drama and human-interest aspect of sports and athleticism! What I didn't love was the realization that this is another profession that is extremely hard to break into and be successful at. I wanted my dream career, but I wanted to eat, too!!
That said, I must not have been too serious about the wanting to eat thing, because what I finally ended up going with- and sticking with- was social work. It's what I majored in in college. I finally realized that the thing that made me the most happy was helping people. It's still been a weave-y road for me. After graduation, I volunteered at Camp Heartland, worked at Archway Programs with learning disabled students, moved on to Cooper where I worked in HIV research, and then went on to be a nanny. Now, here I am, a 30-something mama, and still have never worked in what I would consider to be my career. I have had a string of jobs where I think I have made a small difference, and right now, I have the best and most amazing job in the world (PJ's mama!). But isn't it weird- here I am, a grown up, and I never did what I wanted to do when I grew up. Yup, weird.
It's all okay though. I have been paying my own bills since I was 17 (with a few helpful banking contributions from my parents/Mom-Mom until I was 23 or so!). I have been happy at all of my jobs. I have made a difference in the lives of a very few people, but that's enough! I stumbled upon a job after graduation and in that, stumbled upon the love of my life, the person who married me and created PJ, my best bit of work yet, if I do say so myself! Life's been weird, but it's also been pretty good. And maybe that's just how it's supposed to be when I grew up.
Goodnight.
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