What I want to be…
April 20, 2008 by admin
Filed under Leadership
This entry was chosen as one of the best for the Business Channel “Take Your Sons and Daughters To Work Day” contest.
Your comments will count as votes - the most commented post between now and April 30 wins! The commenter wins and the blogger wins. So comment away!
What do you want to be? What do your kids want to be? How do childhood experiences affect your career?
When I was six, I wanted to be a nurse like my redheaded Aunt Alice (and my gramma, but gramma never told us she was a nurse). I held on to that dream until the day I cut my foot on a piece of glass and nearly passed out from the minute amount of blood.
The next dream was a rodeo star. I had this pony and she was gonna take me places. She did. One way. Because she and her colt were not weaned, it was impossible for someone my size and demeanor to convince her to ride away from him. So I compromised - I led her away from the barn and rode like the wind….right back to the barn. So much for the rodeo.
When I got my organ in fourth grade, I was going to be a rock star. My sister had the tambourine and my brother was learning the trumpet. Even though we didn’t ask him, we were sure he’d want to be the next Herb Alpert to our female Osmonds. We practiced like mad, but I couldn’t quite make a powder-blue organ with no stand and the desperate need for an extension cord sound like the big time. There went that dream.
All this time, we were doing other things. We’d put together a newsletter - happenings on the farm. We sold it to the neighbors for five cents. My sister soon tired of this, but I couldn’t stop! A writer was born.
That was what I wanted to be when I grew up. I don’t write about the cats and the cows anymore, but this is the dream and I’m living it. :)
Celebrate Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day on April 24!
Way to go Lori! O loved this post too and was greatly intimidated after reading it… how could my story possibly be more interesting? Good luck Lori! I hope you win BIG!
Boy does this bring back memories! I used to have a private family/farm based newsletter myself. If I recall, one rendition might have been “Birch Knoll News” or something similar. Adn now I freelance as a web content writer. Scary coincidence!
Lori, you are one of the truest writers I know! Woo-hoo!
Lori, I’m glad to hear that you are doing what you love!
Awesome story, Lori. You so deserve to win. Although my fascination with words began at a young age, I have to admit, the idea of a newsletter for our farm never even crossed my mind.
lol, such clarity!
Well, I’m just tickled as all get-out that my shaky path to writing “stardom” has garnered such attention! Thanks to the powers-that-be here on Biz Chicks Rule for naming me a finalist. I guess suffering really does pay off in the end! LOL
Does commenting on my own nomination count? No? Yes? Well, just in case…
Ha! I had a pony too; and he was definitely faster on the way coming home than on the way coming out. And I STILL have my beat-up keyboard with the sketchy extension cord (you have to wiggle it to make it work). Loved this post.
This is beautiful and inspirational - and a short sample of great writing. :)
A great story, an inspirational one that makes me stop writing and stop reading … as I sit here thinking back on who I dreamed of being and who inspired me. And lastly, Lori, thanks for mothering all of us and letting us know … ‘it’ can be done.
Awesome, Lori! I’ll go tell my readers to come around and vote for you too.
Thanks, Tei! :) We all appreciate your support.
Great story, Lori! Congratulations on living the dream.
Thanks for the encouragement, Lillie. :)
Thanks everyone! How odd the path to our adult lives is, eh?
Especially you, Lori. Just kidding. :-*
Wow, there are a lot of comments here that I totally missed! Thank you all for coming and sharing! It’s so good to see so many loving on our Lori. :)
I’m all verklempt! :))
I hope not because I was teasing you. :) I hope it’s from the outpouring of looooooooooove. Cuz, you know, we like TOTALLY adore you.
I know. It makes my toes all warm. :))
Great story and congrats for doing what so few get to do. I’m living the dream too although one better. When I first defined the dream, I said one day I wanted to fax copies of my work to my editor from wherever. This was before the internet so now I don’t have to fax and being a freelancer I don’t have just one editor. Yay, technology!
Wow, this is great, Lori. I’m living the dream 1/2 time, and hope to full time someday.
Go for it, Becky. You can do it!
I think I wanted to be a nurse (like my mommy) for about 10 minutes until blood showed up too….
Best of luck :)
Way to live the dream, Cowgirl! You rock : )
I still wish I had spurs. :)