Friday, February 09, 2007

What Did You Want To Be?

Fireman, Doctor, Lawyer, Wife?
Some people believe that what you showed an affinity for or desired to be as a child is very pertinent to your life purpose. I can see the truth in that, kids are very intuitive. But what about the children who wanted to be superheroes? Or thought they could fly?
I was an odd child. At 3 I cut my foot open because I stood on the only area not childproofed in the house {the porcelain toilet paper holder} to accept awards, and sing commercials LOL.
I flew off bunk beds and broke my leg, believing I was Mighty Isis and I could fly.
I had an embarrassing episode in a pool that belonged to some friends of the grown ups in my life because I was pretending to be a mermaid, and I was going for realism, so I wrapped a rubber band around my ankles and pulled off my little toddler top. {Boy were they surprised lol}. I also imagined I was rescued by a prince a lot-of course-I had my cool powers with which to help hurry him along.
I never thought-I'm going to be a nurse, or a secretary-I was more likely to create magical wizard experiments in coke cans and easy bake ovens that involved cleaners, leftovers, and eventually smoke instead of chocolate cakes.
I made up my own language-had a VERY realistic imaginary friend for years,basically nothing that pointed to practical employment.
Now I'm a writer. I write about magic and romance and{though I haven't hit on mermaids yet} mythical beings under curses and spells. Havent gone to any awards ceremonies and thanked the academy yet-but I'm ready when I do. :}
I still want to fly-still imagine amazing scenarios-still occasionally try to make my empty chip bag fly to the trash with the power of my mind-but when I can't-I now just make sure my characters can. In that way I am being true to my inner child.

What did you want to be as a child? And how did it shape who you are and what you do now?

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was going to be a star, baby! I would stand in my front yard (which was up an incline from the road, so it was like a stage) and sing to cars as they went by. I'd put on my mom's old fancy dresses and sing for her and her friends, using a poker as a mic and Olivia Newton John records as my karaoke (sp?). I wanted to be her. I was gonna sing and act my way to Hollywood.

I still sing but now I'm on the worship team at Church so, hopefully, I don't look quite as foolish. Truth is as much as I loved it and was good, I wasn't good enough. I was just ok good. Not good good, ya know?

3:07 PM  
Blogger R.G. ALEXANDER said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

4:17 PM  
Blogger R.G. ALEXANDER said...

I bet you are good-there may have to be some real karaoke in our future! {PS I wanted to be Olivia in Xanadu}

4:18 PM  
Blogger Jennifer McKenzie said...

I wanted to be all sorts of things. A doctor, a scientist, a singer, I was all over the map.
But my favorite thing to do was to make up elaborate stories. Mine usually included witches and bad guys. When I played with Barbies, she was always rescuing the hapless Ken from dire emergencies.
I also had my own language. I think that storytelling was something that stuck with me.
Writing is an extention of that.

9:23 AM  
Blogger Crystal Jordan said...

I was a know it all, so I became a librarian. Not much has changed for me, really. ;-)

2:03 PM  
Blogger Babe King said...

As a child I didn't think about growing up or what I'd be, which could be why I ended up doing so many things - I mean, at one stage I was working in hospitals by day, working as a musician at night and studying at uni at the same time. Total madness.

But yeah, I had imaginary friends and imaginary pets and always told myself stories in my head, esp as a child. When life gets hard, the stories keep you going, and being the storyteller, the world builder, the omniscient narrator...well, that's unadulterated power -- something children (and adults too, I guess) desperately need in a world that often makes them feel vulnerable. :-)

3:49 PM  
Blogger R.G. ALEXANDER said...

Babe-
Love your post. I'm with you. I was a nurse, a singer, a burger flipper lol-but with writing-I finally feel like I'm home. Maybe because through my characters I can be/do/have everything. :}

4:34 PM  

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