Who were you going to be?

mjs9153 said:

I'm not sure I understand,I hope you mean for someone starting out,they always have the chance to build up to their dream..and if you are talking personally you shouldn't,you are somebody that people like and has friends on this board,so please chin up if that is what you meant..

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Oh, I didn't mean somebody starting out! I am 54 and held out hope till I was 50, then one day it was just gone. I am still adjusting to what this means. Things could still change or improve but I no longer see how, and am sad and anxious respecting this every day.

One of my happiest memories is when around age eleven, standing with my friend Andy on a rock island in the river, planning how we were going to make it big in a musical group.

I thought that I would be a social science teacher for an elementary school. It didn't turn out that way.

mjs9153 said:

so,are you happy with where you went? No need to respond if you don't want,just posted the thread as a what the heck,people can say what they want or not..

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Not really that happy with how I turned out, but oh well, lol.

jjajajaa I like this thread.
In 1996, all I remember is that I was finishing primary school. I liked when I went outside of school ..like an outdoor activity ... our Biology teacher used to take us to the country side and we watched the soil and its worms ... I liked to be outside. oh! I remember I wanted to be a dancer.. I took classes of Folklore which is a traditional way of dancing here in Argentina. I remember now! I never thought of that ! Great memories!

mjs9153 said:

Argentina! That is cool..do you live at a higher altitude or lower?Nice that people from all over the world go on this board,and thanks to SK and his staff for hosting it..

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First of all, Thanks!!
second, I live in Córdoba which is a city in the middle of the country , I no idea if it is a higher altitude or not! ajjaja
third, I was meaning to write S.K by sending him a letter !! and then I thought ..."you have internet Mara, what are you thinking!!?" This place is so cool! yes.

I always wanted to be a Psychiatrist and/or Psychologist. I don't think now, knowing myself better, that I could see patients however. If I had a patient that was a child molester (or even former one) do not think I could do that.

I also was interested in being an Interior Designer. Don't think I could do that either because I become very passionate about what I think looks good, and you have to listen to your customer. I ran into that problem when I did web design.

CoriSCapnSkip said:

Oh, I didn't mean somebody starting out! I am 54 and held out hope till I was 50, then one day it was just gone. I am still adjusting to what this means. Things could still change or improve but I no longer see how, and am sad and anxious respecting this every day.

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You are the same age as I. You know, regardless of what someone accomplishes, it is common for us older folk to look back and wonder if we have done enough...or what we wanted...or enough of what we wanted. Even people who, up until now, considered themselves successful. In fact, some who make great wealth wonder if it was worth it, considering the sacrifices that were made.

Part of this is the realization that we have more years behind us, than ahead. BUT...there are also hormonal changes that take place, very much like adolescence. This effects our moods. Depression is a VERY common experience for us Grups (Star Trek reference). It would be wise to have blood work done, to see if there are any issues. I know I had to take some action, on that part.

Just a thought, and unsolicited advice.

All right, I can't claim to have actually grown up, but as much as I have experienced here is what I have figured out:

--As a kid you are allowed to be happy, at least about certain things part of the time, a main one of which is what you will do or be when you grow up.

--The whole time you get older, as Dewey on "Malcolm in the Middle" famously said, "Every year they expect more of you and love you less." You keep hoping things are either not as bad as they appear, will get better, or both.

--Finally your life is reduced to nothing but worrying about a bunch of insurmountable problems. God forbid if you try to concentrate on something you enjoyed when you were younger and not on these problems, something terrible will happen, but then if you do nothing but obsess on these problems, something terrible is likely to happen anyway.

--You then realize that everything was impossible all along and there is no way you can prevent it's being terrible, you can only ignore or postpone it. What we call adolescent angst is the tip of the iceberg here. At that age they don't know everything, they have just learned enough things a young child doesn't know to start being really miserable.

--As J. M Barrie observed, "Nothing that happens after you are twelve years old matters very much." End of story.

CoriSCapnSkip said:

All right, I can't claim to have actually grown up, but as much as I have experienced here is what I have figured out:

--As a kid you are allowed to be happy, at least about certain things part of the time, a main one of which is what you will do or be when you grow up.

--The whole time you get older, as Dewey on "Malcolm in the Middle" famously said, "Every year they expect more of you and love you less." You keep hoping things are either not as bad as they appear, will get better, or both.

--Finally your life is reduced to nothing but worrying about a bunch of insurmountable problems. God forbid if you try to concentrate on something you enjoyed when you were younger and not on these problems, something terrible will happen, but then if you do nothing but obsess on these problems, something terrible is likely to happen anyway.

--You then realize that everything was impossible all along and there is no way you can prevent it's being terrible, you can only ignore or postpone it. What we call adolescent angst is the tip of the iceberg here. At that age they don't know everything, they have just learned enough things a young child doesn't know to start being really miserable.

--As J. M Barrie observed, "Nothing that happens after you are twelve years old matters very much." End of story.

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So...is the glass half full...empty...I sense some ambiguity here...

I have a good friend who is the perennial pessimist. The only time he smiles is when I try to cheer him up, and he counters with an even more dire possibility.

CoriSCapnSkip said:

All right, I can't claim to have actually grown up, but as much as I have experienced here is what I have figured out:

--As a kid you are allowed to be happy, at least about certain things part of the time, a main one of which is what you will do or be when you grow up.

--The whole time you get older, as Dewey on "Malcolm in the Middle" famously said, "Every year they expect more of you and love you less." You keep hoping things are either not as bad as they appear, will get better, or both.

--Finally your life is reduced to nothing but worrying about a bunch of insurmountable problems. God forbid if you try to concentrate on something you enjoyed when you were younger and not on these problems, something terrible will happen, but then if you do nothing but obsess on these problems, something terrible is likely to happen anyway.

--You then realize that everything was impossible all along and there is no way you can prevent it's being terrible, you can only ignore or postpone it. What we call adolescent angst is the tip of the iceberg here. At that age they don't know everything, they have just learned enough things a young child doesn't know to start being really miserable.

--As J. M Barrie observed, "Nothing that happens after you are twelve years old matters very much." End of story.

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I would disagree with the most of this. I was allowed to be happy as a child, and have so many wonderful memories of growing up and exploring the woods, and having family and friends to share my imagination with. I was allowed to just be me and enjoy being a kid. I did my first haircut on a life size dancing doll when I was 4 years old, and was so proud of myself.

Sure, as I grew up more was expected of me.....but never more than I was capable of.....and if the love decreased, I sure couldn't tell it. My aunts and uncles helped me learn so many things......how to climb trees, how to crack eggs and bake brownies, how to dig up fish worms, they let me watch late night tv with them, taught me how to pop a wheelie, and that family is important above all else. I loved growing up in my family.....and they are the reason that I still live in the same town.

We all have a certain amount of teenage angst, but that's part of becoming an adult. I still never really had any real problems as a teenager..... I enrolled in cosmetology class when I was in 10th grade, and my family was so happy that I was learning to do a job that I would love. I didn't belong to the popular crowd, but I had real friends, and we still get together now and then. Nothing seemed impossible back then....

So many things that matter happened after I became an adult......the most important one being the birth of my daughter. she brings me so much joy and I am thankful every single day that I was chosen to be her Mom. I've won some pretty cool hair styling awards, owned a really neat salon, and worked for the state licensing board. I've met all kinds of people and made some lasting friendships.
Not everything in my adult life has been a bowl of cherries.....but so many things have helped me become who I am today. I don't regret one minute of the life I've lived or the experiences I've had.
.....the things that have happened to me since I was twelve years old might not matter much to the general population, but they're pretty important to me. I'm still the same generally happy kid that I was all those years ago, and still try my best to find something to smile about every day.

Well I'm so much older now and now I want to be a little boy. Go figure. Little boy about ten years old. I can work with that. At ten, wanted to be Gordie Howe...Bobby Orr...Phil Esposito...Mickey Lolich, Denny McClain, Al Kaline...Bart Starr, Donny Anderson...Pistol Pete Maravich or Bond. James Bond. Or the Man from U.N.C.L.E. One of the Fantastic Four...call me a Fifth. The Fantastic Five. Had a Batman costume so I guess I wanted to be Batman...and never the Boy Wonder. Sheesh. Remember ten? Biggest problem of the day was the chain falling off the bike...that or a flat tire. Dreaming of something with a motor, fast and sassy, jacked-up rear-end, something that rumbled when it went by, gleamed in the sun. Now it's all I can do to put my shoes on. Glory days! Will...pass you by!