Which childhood dream have you accomplished/done?

[notinKansasanymore]

Interesting question.

The biggest childhood dream that I can remember was to go to college. This was not typical for a girl from a small town in my part of Texas, in the mid-sixties. Later, when I was about thirteen, I once confided to my best friend that I had a dream to go to college. She was pretty surprised. "You can't go to college," she exclaimed, "unless you want to be a whore!" There were three of us who palled around together in Junior High; of the three, I am the only one who finished 9th grade.

I had finished my Freshman year at our hometown college when I got distracted into TWI, and thus began the maelstrom. After a dozen years out, I left TWI and finished school, in a different state. The fact that I'm now a professor is just plain sweet. I don't know about the "whore" thing; I suppose that depends upon one's environment. I learned much more about looseness in TWI than in my hometown, or in college either; that's for sure.

Other dreams came later, when I was a bit older. I wanted a wonderful husband and a good marriage, and wanted to have a lot of children. I wanted to see Paris, go to Disneyworld (don't laugh - remember, I am from the sticks), and go to Hawaii. Mr. niKa is (sounds trite, but I don't care) an amazing man, and the love of my life, and my favorite of any man I ever dated, ever, amen. That's saying something, because some of you Ministry guys were fabulous, wonderful gentlemen. I am the mom of two children, but we really have four, counting my steps. I count them completely; they're mine. Mr.niKa and I went to Disneyworld together, and loved it, the first year we were married. After my children were born, my in-laws kept the kids while we went to Paris; I spent three days in the Louvre. It was completely glorious. A couple of weeks ago, we got back from our second trip together to Hawaii.

I think that part of the key to living is never to stop dreaming. I did my old list; now there's a new list. We can never stop the dreaming thing; it's as important as the breathing thing. I'm pretty sure that some of the things on the new list will be impossible for me, but that's kind of how I felt about the old list. Having a diverse list makes me extra thankful for the wild things that I do occasionally get to check off.

To all of you: good luck with your dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.

[mchud11]

Folks, unless you are in your 50's, lived in California, I have my doubts you were part of the "social experiment" those well meaning California psychologists put the children through way back then, if it wasn't sugar cubes for polio, "Co-educational PE", it was IQ tests..yep, I am still damaged goods, one childhood dream never done, never accomplished.......

Why not give it a "go" now???

Oh, now Krysilis, are you "hittin" on me, I am definitely getting a "vibe". Check out my photos and if a worldly, bad boy appeals to you, oh, do PM me..

[mchud11]

As mchud points out, it's hard to make a thriving drug business without a good channel to market. None of my friends are druggies, sadly. (And, no, I haven't seen "Breaking Bad.")

My graduate work was in organometallic chemistry. When I was at Dow, I did organic syntheses, inorganic syntheses, some polymer syntheses, and a lot of process support for one of the plants. Now I do primarily inorganic chemistry, including some work with radioactive isotopes. I plan eventually to teach at a junior college or small university.

Sorry, Dooj, but you are FAR too hot for a nun!

George

Great stuff here, George. From reading many of your posts, you come across as "sharp as a tack". Dow, as I understand is big in the area of development. The organometallic chemistry sounds leading edge and a challenge. Thanks for narrowing down what the area of chemistry you work in is..regards, michael

Interesting question.

The biggest childhood dream that I can remember was to go to college. This was not typical for a girl from a small town in my part of Texas, in the mid-sixties. Later, when I was about thirteen, I once confided to my best friend that I had a dream to go to college. She was pretty surprised. "You can't go to college," she exclaimed, "unless you want to be a whore!" There were three of us who palled around together in Junior High; of the three, I am the only one who finished 9th grade.

I had finished my Freshman year at our hometown college when I got distracted into TWI, and thus began the maelstrom. After a dozen years out, I left TWI and finished school, in a different state. The fact that I'm now a professor is just plain sweet. I don't know about the "whore" thing; I suppose that depends upon one's environment. I learned much more about looseness in TWI than in my hometown, or in college either; that's for sure.

Other dreams came later, when I was a bit older. I wanted a wonderful husband and a good marriage, and wanted to have a lot of children. I wanted to see Paris, go to Disneyworld (don't laugh - remember, I am from the sticks), and go to Hawaii. Mr. niKa is (sounds trite, but I don't care) an amazing man, and the love of my life, and my favorite of any man I ever dated, ever, amen. That's saying something, because some of you Ministry guys were fabulous, wonderful gentlemen. I am the mom of two children, but we really have four, counting my steps. I count them completely; they're mine. Mr.niKa and I went to Disneyworld together, and loved it, the first year we were married. After my children were born, my in-laws kept the kids while we went to Paris; I spent three days in the Louvre. It was completely glorious. A couple of weeks ago, we got back from our second trip together to Hawaii.

I think that part of the key to living is never to stop dreaming. I did my old list; now there's a new list. We can never stop the dreaming thing; it's as important as the breathing thing. I'm pretty sure that some of the things on the new list will be impossible for me, but that's kind of how I felt about the old list. Having a diverse list makes me extra thankful for the wild things that I do occasionally get to check off.

To all of you: good luck with your dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem.

Great post, some very interesting travel, passions...its like that song from South Pacific, sung by the older Polyonesian woman, "Happy Talk"......you gotta have a dream to have a dream come true...regards..michael

Edited January 27, 2009 by mchud11

[coolchef]

not in kansas

what a wonderful story

good for you!

[notinKansasanymore]

Thanks, mchud11.

One thing that I forgot to mention was the lo-o-ng span of years before some very important dreams were realized.

I didn't even meet my husband until I was 38 years old. There were plenty of other opportunities, but I knew that they were not "it" for me. There were also two or three who were, for awhile, "the ones who got away." I read an article, about that time, which explained that I had a higher chance of getting caught in a terrorist attack than of finding a great husband, at that age. And children? That was supposed to be more and more impossible with each passing year, as well.

Somehow, things happened when they were supposed to, and when Mr.niKa and I finally met, there were no longer any at all who had "gotten away." We even had little ones with no significant trouble or special help, despite my having waited so long, and being almost 40 and almost 42 when they were born.

Maybe the moral of that story is that one must be stubborn with dreams, at times.

They are not "sure things," and they require courage.

[kimberly]

Mrs.notinKansasanymore, I just noticed you are in Norman, Okla. My daddy lives in Carney, my baby sister lives in Perkins and my baby brother lives in Stillwater.

Oooohhhh, sister honey girlfriend, I am living with you when it comes to being stubborn about our dreams. I am jealous. You have been to France. When the baby graduates highschool in 2011 it is my dream to go to France for a year and study Couture. I will be 55 years young. True, oh, so true, will never stop dreaming and setting new dreams. There is so much in life to grab and learn and experience.

[Kit Sober]

I have been reading "The Dream Giver" by Bruce Wilkinson (He did "The Prayer of Jabez" back in 2000 I think.)

The Dream Giver encourages remembering and going after the dreams that the Lord gave us as part of our makeup.

I am finding those dreams awakening. . . it's never too late to go after them is one of his premises.

And I am working on figuring out how to do set them in motion once again.

Thanks.

[rascal]

That is neat Kit, I`d like to get a copy of that book for my kiddo who is struggling.

One of the things that I have found is that because my dreams were deferred to for so long and dismissed as unimportant or unatainable, is that I savor each accomplishment so much more than the average person that recieved things as a matter of course or without struggle.

The kids, the horses, my dogs, great friends, each a gift to be appreciated and cherished.

I am so impressed by what you all have accomplished, for how wide your scope and dreams are. You guys who got your education, you folks who traveled....

Nika, your story is a great life lesson and I am going to show it to my daughters who have been having a real hard time with the wrong guys chasing them. They need to understand why NOT to settle for mediocracy.

Thanks girl.

Edited January 28, 2009 by rascal

[kimberly]

Aaahhh, so true, Rascal, each a gift to be appreciated and cherished.

[mchud11]

Youth is a thing of the mind. A response and choice to daily living.

[Twinky]

Play a musical instrument.

As of one week ago, someone gave me a 61 key wotchamacallit with 100 voices and 1000 stored tunes. Or some such. So no excuse for not learning something about playing a keyboard instrument.

Especially when a close friend is a retired piano teacher...!

Not that I can play yet, you understand, but I have found out how to turn it on.

[shazdancer]

Learning a musical instrument is one of the best brain exercises out there. Go for it!

GSG, one of my kids is finishing her PhD in chem. She wanted to go for inorganic, but got involved in some work her professor was doing in drug-eluting stents. She developed something with polymers where the drugs break down at a predictable rate via a new hybrid thermoplastic polyurethane system. Sheesh, I love it when my kids know so much more than I do.... :D

As for me, I had wanted to be a dancer for pretty much all my childhood. Sometimes I wanted it more, sometimes less, but it was always there as the natural progression of things. I started dancing when I was 4, just to get out of my mom's hair for a bit, then got more serious when I was 8, taking 3 classes a week. By high school, it was 5-6 days a week.

And I never stopped for anything but a small vacation since, until May of last year. That's when I fulfilled another dream of mine: to get my master's degree. Now I'm pursuing the next phase of my life, and new dreams.

-- Shaz

[krys]

How cool it must be for your daughter to invent something that actually saves lives. You must be proud of her.

Congratulations on pursuing new dreams. That's one of the greatest benefits of getting older - - getting to have new dreams!

[ClayJay]

To have a girl friend or even a wife. Oh but I haven't realized that dream though.

Edited February 3, 2009 by ClayJay

[Twinky]

Oh, and I learned to ski.

Not very well. And sometimes my skis and I do not take exactly the same route...

But I can get down a slope without too much disgrace or damage to other people; I have fun; I feel a sense of achievement.

[Shellon]

I fulfilled another dream of mine: to get my master's degree. Now I'm pursuing the next phase of my life, and new dreams.