When you were 5 years old, what did you want to be? An astronaut? A princess?
I went through several different stages of what I wanted to be. I wanted to be a gymnastics teacher back in first grade when I had just taken gymnastics. Then I wanted to teach. After that, I wanted to be a surgeon. Well, that was at least until I found out I didn't like blood. After that, I decided to go back to teaching, and here I am, going into education. Although, two of my dreams that I feel like I'll never be able to fulfill are that of writing a novel and singing on Broadway.
When I was younger, I was so sure that I was going to be rich and famous. I was so sure that I would have a maid to clean my house, a chef to cook my meals, a mansion with a pool and everything else under the sun. But, here I am, a broke college student with $5 in my bank account. It doesn't look like I'm going to be rich any day soon.
How many people actually end up living those childhood dreams? How many people end up going to be astronauts? More people than those who end up being princesses, that's for sure! But why do we let these childhood dreams go? Why are we OK with pushing them aside so easily? Of course, there are many qualifications that one must meet in order to be an astronaut or doctor, but that doesn't mean one should ever stop trying.
Of course, I'll never go on to be on Broadway, but that doesn't mean that every time I sing, I don't pretend to be a star. It doesn't mean my love for music or the years of voice lessons have gone to waste. And maybe I'll never go on to write a book, but hey, I'm writing for The Odyssey. It doesn't mean I couldn't put aside my fears and writer's block and write the novel I've always wanted to.
Stop waiting around and fearing that your dreams will never happen. Of course, if you continue to think that, then they never will! As we get older, our outlook on life tends to change. I don't know why that is, but I guess it's because we realize the world isn't as forgiving of a place as we thought it to be. I guess it's because we realize that sometimes, as unfortunate as it is, just because we dream it doesn't mean we can do it, even though that's what we've been told.
Just remember, Patch Adams was an adult when he decided to go to med school and live his dream of becoming a doctor. My mom continues to be an inspiration to me, choosing to go back to school as an adult and live her dream of becoming a nurse. It's never too late, and you're never too old to live out your dreams.
