At the beginning of each new year a flurry of posts and essays and articles appear bandying about such terms as goals, resolutions, or “things I want to do before I die.”  I have given this some thought and will begin a series of posts as I add items.  Meanwhile, I am revisting the dreams and goals I have had over the years, a kind of review by decade.

During the first 10 years of my life I wanted to be: a stewardess (flight attendant), a choir director, a spy, a piano player, a drummer, and a “smart” or gifted student.  I read voraciously and saw myself as the heroine.  I longed to run through meadows, move to the music, and be somebody.

The second ten years were mostly a dark tunnel.  I wanted a boy friend, I wanted to be popular, I wanted to have more than 5 daily dresses, one Saturday work dress, and one Sunday dress. I made New Year’s resolutions such as, “go on my first date before the end of this year.”  I read voraciously and thought it would be exquisitly wonderful and romantic to go to a malt shop and sip soda through two straws from the same elegant glass with someone of the opposite sex. I felt I ought to be a missionary to a foriegn country and I wanted to be a pastor’s wife. I wanted to graduate from high school.  I wanted to play piano for the rest of my life (but I hated to practice). I wished there was some type of automatic composer hooked to my piano so I wouldn’t have to write notes by hand. I wished I was a gifted student without trying and I was a gifted student when it came to music.  I wanted to know and be known, to be acknowledged as someone special, to have a kindred spirit friend.

So, how did I do?  I started teaching piano at the age of 15, I sang in an excellent choir. I made it to sweet sixteen without being kissed.  I married the first guy I dated.  I had the opportunity to student direct the choir in prep for college and decided not to go to college.I finished high school and married shortly after my 18th birthday. I thought we were going to be missionaries to a foriegn country or at least ministers in the USA, but he decided to be an atheist.

As for the kindred spirit friend, I had two cousins (one of each gender) who served wisely and loyally in this capacity; when I was not too infatuated or emmeshed with my boyfriend to do my part toward the friendship.