Everybody’s got a Story.
Tell us yours: How would you re-chart your future?
Question #1: August 5, 2013
Tell us…If you could go back in time and re-chart your future – what would you be doing right now?
Lee’s Story:
If I re-charted my future there are several things I would change. I would never have married my ex-husband. He was angry, told lies as easily as most people tell the truth, and became an abusive, raging alcoholic. It was almost 10 years of trying to fix somebody who didn’t want to be fixed and being scared every time he drank. What I wouldn’t re-chart is getting myself out of that mess since I learned – and fixed – a lot about myself.
That being said…there are several other things I would re-chart. Before chemistry kicked my butt in high school, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I loved biology, loved dissecting and garnering hands on knowledge of how things worked internally, and loved the research along with the study. We always had cats and dogs, I was always bringing home a stray or wounded animal, and the neighborhood squirrels waited near our house to be hand-fed after I got home from school. So….the re-chart here is to have had the skills to work through chemistry and become a vet.
This next re-chart needs a bit of magic. I’m musically inclined, and yes I CAN carry a tune in a bushel basket, and I was raised listening to the greatest R & B, Jazz, Gospel, Big Band musicians and singers in the world. I loved the profoundly expressive voice of Billy Holiday which seemed to carry the hurts of the world in it; I wondered how Aretha Franklin could have such talent as such a young age; I felt close to God each time I heard Mahalia Jackson sing. So….here’s where the magic comes in….I would have loved to have the talent to be a Jazz/R & B/ Gospel singer.
How would I re-chart MY future? Why I’d be a Jazz/R & B/ Gospel singing veterinarian of course! ; )
What about YOU? How would YOU re-chart YOUR future? Share YOUR story with US!
Barbara’s Story:
I’m so conscious of how the events of your childhood impact your future…especially now that I have grandkids. I don’t know why raising kids didn’t open my eyes to that…but better late than never… Right?
My Grandson, Noah, is only 10 but he has interests that I can see making a difference in his future. He’s an excellent drawer and he loves building things with legos. He carefully researches ideas for new things to build and the best way to build them and my Son and Daughter In Law encourage him to enjoy these activities. So he gets better and better at them. I can see a future Architect.
The young adults I see doing things that don’t fit the square mold of thinking we had in the 50’s and 60’s make me envious. Tony Hawk had a passion for skateboarding as a kid and is a household name now. My Brother in Law loved to ride his bicycle as a kid…he now competes in cycling events wearing the jersey promoting his own cycle shop.
So, if I could go back in time and recharge my future, I think I’d first pay attention to what it is I like doing…I’d find someone who encouraged that activity, I think I’d work at finding something I loved….find something I was passionate about (I’d also find someone to encourage me)….I don’t remember having an interest in anything…and I certainly didn’t have any encouragement at anything.
Knowing what I know now, I’d make the same
mistakesdecisions, I’d follow the same path, but I would use that history, that vulnerability to work in the field of psychology. It fascinates me why people do what they do.
Secretly….I want to be the “White Oprah”, or maybe the new millennium version of Phil Donahue. Talking and asking questions….oh hey…that’s what I AM doing….
Now it’s your turn! Tell us…what would you be doing right now?
Now it’s your turn. We told you our story…Now tell us yours! What’s your answer for today’s question? Just use the comment section…and if you’ve already written about this – go ahead and leave your link for everybody to read!
Tell someone you know about this:
Tags: back in time, everybody's got a story, middlesage, re-chart your future, tell us
Here’s what I think about the game of life—the surprise factor is what makes it so rich. Sure, I wish I had been a mother, managed to stay married the first time, lived in NYC, had broader horizons as a young woman—BUT this path was so interesting, so unusual and so much fun that I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Even the missteps. It’s funny to think “all’s well that ends well” because it means I have to recognize my age (saying it aloud after my birthday last month was a shock!). But: all’s well that ends well. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Fortunately, I believe in reincarnation. Next life? New adventures. 😉
Carol Cassara recently posted…Cock o’ the walk
Carol – life is funny, and challenging and sometimes tragic which makes us what we are. It’s also interesting to speculate what we would have been like had we taken the another road. Thank you for sharing your story and insights!
When I look back at choices and opportunities…there are two times that if I had been given a stronger “push” to move in another direction…my life might different today. The first time was in high school when I tried out for the musical SOUTH PACIFIC. I was “cast” as the understudy for the lead role…Nellie Forbush. I had NO IDEA that I would get that “close” to playing Nellie. If I had gotten that part…who knows? The second time, I was an RA in the dorm in college. The last semester of my senior year, I became an Assistant Hall Director, which was a direct path to a Master’s Degree in College Student Personnel. Again…it’s hard to imagine where I might be today.
When I have considered the “what ifs”…the first thing that comes to mind is that I would not be where I am today. The thought of missing out on my 39 year marriage, the births of two sons, a 38.5 year career in middle school education, two wonderful daughters-in-law, and MAINLY the blessing of three little grandchildren…any other life, for me, would pale in comparison.
Sue – a lot of us wouldn’t trade our lives, but it’s fun to wonder what life would have been like had we taken another route. It might have been more fulfilling, or it may have been a tragic mess. After all “we are but players….” Thank you for your stories!
I’ll just bet you still sing a great “I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair”! Great Story Sue!
The only thing I would have changed (because it was within my control) was my choice of study in college. Wanted to go liberal artsy with a major in social work or journalism but ended up in the College of Business because I was afraid to be otherwise unmarketable. Wrong major – for me. In the long wrong run, much better to go with what comes naturally, something that is way better suited to your skills and talents. In the long run, I did end up writing but what a long, long road it’s been. I feel I could be further along that path had I started when I was much younger. But oh wellz, right?
Pam Houghton recently posted…Anatomy of a tweet
Pam – it’s incredible how many stories we hear about we women doing what is expected of us instead of following our hearts and doing what we WANT to do. Business may have been more practice and served you when you needed it. But thankfully, you’re writing! Thank you for telling a part of your story!