When I Grow Up

Day 10 in the 150 Day Best Self Edison Deck Challenge is an icebreaker: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was young, I wanted to be older. I wanted to be an artist like Amy in “Little Women” until I saw my sister was much more talented. As much as I loved Beth and her love for the piano, it seemed that dying young was part of a musician’s DNA and left me searching. So, Jo was my obvious second choice: the writer, the free spirit, the non-conformist. Now that I’m older, I often wish I was younger, yet with the realm of experience I’ve accumulated. I’d have the vision to know that art isn’t a comparative pursuit, being non-conformist and putting it in writing has inherent risks, and being a musician doesn’t have to be a death sentence.

As a friend told me, at this stage in life look at the road ahead, and only use the rear view mirror as a reference. With that, it’s a great reminder that we are always younger than what we will be tomorrow. Here’s embracing our younger selves and our younger ambitions.

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