If you're from my generation, you grew up watching cartoons about superheroes with superpowers and "superfriends," aka, the sidekicks. Remember the invincible Superman? Remember Batman, the Caped Crusader? Remember Flash, the fastest man in the world? As you list the different superheroes in your head, you try to decide which one you most want to be like so you can tell your friends. That's when a stroke of genius hits you like a lightning bolt! Puffing up your chest with childish arrogance, you tell your buddies that you are going to be SuperBatFlashMan! When you grow up, you're going to be fast! You're going to have laser vision! You'll have superhearing! In a nutshell, you're going to be bad ass.
In all seriousness, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a gardener...Just kidding. Nobody wants to be that.
But for real now. When I was a kid, I wasn't really sure what my dad did for his job. But I knew I wanted to be just like him. He used to travel a lot, and he would always have such awesome gifts for us when he got back. We were always so happy to see him after one of his trips! In my mind, it seemed like an awesome job to have. You got to see the world (I loved travelling as a kid) and get awesome toys. But old dreams tend to fade.
By the time I was in high school, I had decided that I was going to be some kind of professional musician. I have always been drawn by the magic of music. I knew that whenever I was around music I was relatively happy (you know, compared to being in class or being picked on by siblings). When I was preparing to look for a college, the adults in my life suggested that I find a career in something I was passionate for. Music seemed to fit the bill.
Then came college. I spent the first two years getting good at my craft. Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata, Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# minor, J. S. Bach's different prelude and fugues..I knew them all. I could tell you what each composer was thinking when he wrote a particular piece just by analyzing it with music theory. Unfortunately, the "real world" (I hate that expression...) demanded that I be more practical with my future life style. So I merged my music major with a business major. At least this way I have some kind of fallback if the music thing goes wrong.
Which brings me into the present. Today I work at Culver's, a fast food chain mostly prominent in the Midwest. I'm not analyzing music, nor playing piano professionally, nor managing a band. If you asked me if I am anywhere closer to who I want to
be, I might say:
The fact is, I work and live with people who respect me for who I am (not a small feat). Though I'm not a millionaire, I make enough money to live fairly comfortably. Furthermore, I've learned that, as much as I love it, music isn't my real passion. My real passion is people. Where better to meet people than a restaurant? I can influence hundreds of people a week just by being behind the register and offering hospitality with a genuine smile.
Honestly, the more I think about it, the less I care what I become as long as I'm surrounded by the people I love. Hopefully they love me back. Otherwise I'll go all SuperBatFlashMan on their arses...
But think about it: where do you find true happiness? We live in an era of cynicism and pessimism. People will tell you that the odds of doing something you love and getting paid for it are very slim. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try with all your being to make it so. Sure it's hard. Sure it might suck at times. But occasional sorrow is trivial next to long term happiness. Right?
Well said
ReplyDeleteThank you. :)
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