when i grow up

The other day a friend asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. It was said somewhat tongue in cheek, as we both do think of ourselves, however wrong we may be, as grown up already. But neither of us has embarked on a career as yet. And to be honest, neither of us really has the faintest idea of what that career might one day be.

I have been thinking about that question ever since. What do I want to be when I grow up? What career will I have?

What will define me?

But that’s just it. I don’t want to be defined by any one thing. I can’t be defined by any one thing. So I have been thinking about the question in a whole new light: who do I want to be when I grow up?

That question is much easier to answer.

I want to be a dreamer, a lover, a friend, a sister and a daughter, a writer, a dancer, a crazy cat lady, an explorer, and a traveller. I want to brave, kind, eccentric and sweet. And most of all I want to be happy, and to pass that happiness onto others.

And you know what? I can be all of those things when I grow up. I can be all of those things now.

It doesn’t matter if I am a teacher, an office assistant, a person in a hotdog suit, or a banjo-playing astronaut. Because none of those careers will define who I am. Or even what I am (okay, so maybe being a banjo-playing astronaut would define me a little). The things I love, the people I love, and the differences I make to the world are the things that truly define me.

So who do you want to be when you grow up?

(Image credit: 1.)