What do you want to be when you grow up?

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
That is a question we all get/got asked at some point in our lives and one we ask our children as well. It's fun to hear how the answers change (or for that matter don't change) over the year.
I wanted to be a doctor or an archaeologist or a writer when I grew up. I did become an archaeologist, and have been both an EMT and a medical assistant, and do this for writing, so I did follow my dreams somewhat.
When I was younger, my parents told me we could be whatever we wanted to be when we grew up, to follow our dreams. Hindsight being what it is, I wish they had not done that. When I worked as an archaeologist, I held two jobs, since payday did not always come through with archaeology since grants were slow to be processed at times. I wish my parents had told me to be a doctor, and to follow archaeology as a hobby only.
Now my son tells me he wants to be an archaeologist or an artist or a writer. And I, well I want to tell him "no, don't go for those dreams". My brother tried life as an artist - he ended up frustrated and angry. Jobs as an archaeologist are few and far between, with cuts to state budgets, those jobs go first.
So what do I tell him - to go for his dreams or to go for reality?

Would you hear the " I need you"

I was watching a repeat of "Sex and the City" last night, the episode where Miranda's mother dies of a heart attack, and the girls and ex boyfriends all go to the funeral, because they know Miranda need them, but she does not ask for them to come. It is very touching and moving to see Miranda's relief when Carrie steps up to give her a shoulder to lean on at the funeral procession. The episode started me wondering...
As human beings, we have subconscious ability to recognize when our fellow humans are in need; sometimes they ask for help, sometimes they don't. The question is, would you know if someone was asking you for help?
Think about it, how many times have you looked back on a situation and thought to yourself, I should have offered that person a ride, I should have had that neighbor over for a dinner, I should have called that friend up a month ago, etc. Or you thought, "jeez, I wish I could do something for , but s/he said s/he was o.k....."
I know when my coworker's dad died, I didn't know what to do, what to offer, especially since I am not an overtly emotional person. Giving her a hug of support felt like an awkward thing to do at the time, but a few months later when my dear uncle passed, I knew that was what I desperately needed from someone and that she probably did as well.
What about that young mother with her 4 kids who seems to never get out of the house with out at least 3 of them with her - how about offering to watch ALL of them for 2 hours so she can go to the store alone? It's not much to you, but to her, it is.
I remember when hubby went away for 4 months. My neighbors all said they would give me a hand, I just had to give them a call. Sad thing was, I never called any of them. I needed a hand, desperately, but I was too proud (?) to ask. Now if someone had come to my door and said, "hey leave Jman with my son and my hubby, we're going to the movies", I would have had tears of appreciation in my eyes as I handed over my child and went out the door.
So, one of my resolutions for my life is to be more aware of my fellow human beings, to appreciate what I have and to share with my fellow human beings. Case in point, my dear friend whose husband got laid off, we were shopping at Target for household stuff. Instead of asking her if she wanted to stop for a coffee at the Starbucks kiosk, I told her I was getting coffee and wanted to treat her. I know she would have said "no" to getting the coffee since it is an expense she can not afford right now, but I also know it is a treat that she did appreciate having.
It's a little thing, but it brought some happiness, and that was what I was hoping to achieve.

My first blog award....

thanks Envoyette!

Inauguration Day

President Obama,

You have taken on quite a task, one that may soon seem overwhelming if it does not already. Our country needs a lot of help to get back on its feet. On this day, the Dow dropped more than 330 points. Lay-offs have become a daily occurrence and many of our citizens already had their budgets stretched before the loss of their jobs. What are you going to do to turn our economy around?
In the last 8 years, we've lost the respect of many countries around the world. How are we going to earn it back?
Yes, people cheered today, some even cried in their joy at seeing you take office and it is a momentous occasion; but you have a job ahead of you and you will be judged by your successes and your failures. It seems that many will have open arms for you, please don't disappoint them and us. You're name is already is already going into the history books, hopefully it will be with more than just "1st African-American president of the United States".

I need you

As human beings, we have subconscious ability to recognize when our fellow humans are in need; sometimes they ask for help, sometimes they don't. The question is, would you know if someone was asking you for help?
Think about it, how many times have you looked back...

Jobs..

Yet another friend got a pink slip today...I'm so thankful that both my husband and I have jobs and they are secure (knock on wood). Of course, my friend today had no warning that his job was in jeopardy either....

What I did for New Year's Day

Hello, I have not completely abandoned this blog, as some might suspect, since my writing is so sporadic. No, it is because I want to upload some pictures to the blog, but I seem to have misplaced my camera in all the holiday hoopla. Instead of waiting any longer, I'll just tell you about my new year's vacation and upload the pictures later when I find the camera...if I find the camera.

It has been a desire of mine to go to Oklahoma City to see the site of the 1995 bombing of the the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, or I should say the memorial site and museum dedicated to the memory of it. Why I had this desire, I do not know, although part of it could be because my dear hubby could be in a situation like that at any time due to his job, and the loss of my husband in the line of duty s a deep-rooted fear of mine that I wanted to confront head-on.

First off, if you have never been to the site, you should go. As far as I am concerned, the 7 hour drive was worth it. Although I did none of the driving, so my view may be skewed a bit. :)
The site is composed of the footprint of where the building was and its adjacent parking lot. There is a large black upright rectangular slab of rock (granite?) on one end of the site with "9:01" engraved on it, then a huge reflecting pool, rectangular shaped again, the length of the original building, then another slab with "9:03" engraved on it. The pool is a symbol of that final minute of so many lives before they were irrevocably changed forever.
Then there are the chairs, 168 chairs composed of a metal backing and a frosted square base. Each chair represents one of the people that died that day. They are of two sizes - the smaller size represents the children who perished.

The museum itself is wonderfully done. It gives the visitor an ability to step into that day, from the minutes before the explosion, to the explosion and its aftermath that day, all the way through to years after it is all done. There are video clips of the news coverage, interviews of the victims and survivors, artifacts (IE. bits of the car that was involved in the explosion, an actual room persevered so you can see the damage, clothing, crime scene pictures, etc.), and a memorial to each victim. Watching the video clips of the parents rushing to the scene, asking where is my child, and then seeing their commentary of their feelings and emotions from that moment was heart-rending. (There was a daycare in the building. Only 4 children survived.)

You are able to view what the relatives of the victims have to say about how their how lives were impacted, some moved on in positive way, others have barely clung to day-to-day reality. There also are after effects that were more positive such as how laws were changed to benefit victims of crimes like this, and you get to see that side too.