What a Laugh - Trying to Remember Your Childhood Dreams

I've been a bad, bad blogger. I've been busy, don't get me wrong, but I know I should preface a busy day with a quick shout-out. Let's blame the colds that have been running through our house. So, even though it's been embarrassingly long since my last post, check out what we're doing today!

I've been following the Monday Listicles and having a laugh, and with today's topic, I'm eager to take part. And I know my mother (who reads everything I write like the good mother she is) will have a laugh at this too. I'm a sucker for top 10 lists. I just made my top 10 list of favourite songs and burned them all to a CD which I play in the car every day now. 

Today's Monday Listicles topic is... 10 THINGS YOU THOUGHT AS A CHILD YOU WOULD DO/BE. Classic!

1. An architect - I spent my days going through an insane amount of graph paper drawing blueprints for houses upon houses, then I'd build models using Lego. I also read house plan books whenever I could get my hands on them.

2. A doctor - It's the only superhero-like profession I could pull off, having no discernible superhero-like skills save for the ability to handle the sight of blood. I also didn't pursue it because I thought everyone wanted to be a doctor, and that's why it was so competitive. I've only discovered in recent years that the majority of people know it's not the field for them.

3. An Olympian - the sport would vary depending on what Olympics we're talking about, which is sign #1 I'm NOT an Olympian. See the next few list items for details:

4. A Gymnast - When I was younger it would have been gymnastics. All I needed to do was start taking lessons. Now I'm sure my mother is in hysterics at reading this, as she has told me many times how she had to hold my hand as I crossed the balance beam (the one that's like three inches off the floor) in gymnastics when I was around four. Looking back, it was probably quite embarrassing for her, and I understand why I didn't go back for a second year. So, my interest switched to being:

5. A Figure Skater - They are just so graceful and easy to watch. This is funny to me now, because graceful is not a word I would use to describe myself at all. I believe I was in skating for a single year as well. Looking back, it's a little sad to think how quickly I proved I'm not good in ANY sport. I still can't skate. I would want to grab a chair to use for balance. Which is fine - I could take the chair to the Olympics and skate in the pairs category. However, since I'm not delusional, maybe I'd rather be:

6. A Swimmer - Now I do enjoy swimming. I was only able to take lessons up until grade five, but I kept up with everyone in my class. I taught myself the butterfly stroke, and I'm pretty sure it would look a little less awkward if someone else had taught it to me. After the '96 Atlanta games, I'd swim laps upon laps in our backyard pool while singing 'Reach,' the Gloria Estefan theme from the '96 games in my head. I got a stress fracture in my foot from swimming so many laps. Awesome. So much for that. But what about training as:

7. A Diver - I could take my love of the water and do something that wouldn't put so much pressure on my foot. Now, looking back at #4, I can see already that this is probably not going to go well, as there is such a gymnastic aspect to diving. Another sign it wasn't going to work out: I would run the length of our little diving board and do this giant, graceful dive, and surface to find my father calling me "velcro feet." Well, that can't be good. :) I also was on the 10m platform once in junior high, and it took me a good ten minutes to get the courage to simply jump off it. It was almost Mr. Bean-esque, and any time I see that episode of him at the pool I can feel his pain!

8. A Mother - Save for one maybe three year period in my twenties, I always planned to have kids. I thought for sure, since my mother had had twins, that I would too. But mine would be a boy and a girl, and I'd name them Alexander and Natasha, and we'd call them by the Russian nicknames Sasha and Nasha. Who knows WHERE I got that, as we have absolutely no Russian ancestry in our family, nor anywhere close to Russia. But at least I achieved one of my childhood goals (the kids part, not the twins, thankfully!)!

9. A Banker - This was inevitable as my father was a lifelong banker, and I remember playing teller with my sisters sometimes while we waited for him to finish work. I did work in the bank for a time, as a teller, and just got repeatedly shocked walking back and forth on the carpet to get cash from the dispensing machine. There is nothing as unnerving as reaching for a machine, knowing you are about to see tiny lightning bolts connect with your fingers. It's a wonder I haven't spontaneously combusted.

10. And last but not least, I was definitely going to own a Lamborghini or Lamborghini-like vehicle. That was a no-brainer. Why doesn't everyone own one?? As an adult, I understand why. It doesn't mean I won't get my hands on an Aston Martin someday. Although, with everything else I've been blessed with in my life, it doesn't seem that important any more.