“I HAVE A DREAM” Part 1

If you were to ask me to summarize my philosophy in one word, it might very well be this one: DREAM!  If I could use two words, it would probably be: DREAM BIG!

As a child, every time my parents would take me to visit a more distant relative or friend I would be faced with the same question.  “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  It seemed like doctor and lawyer were the standard answers.  Of course, there were always those adventurous answers of fireman and policeman (Sorry, we hadn’t learned to call them firefighters and police officers, yet).

Then came the first day of school!  YAY!  Kindergarten.  And what do you suppose was the first thing we did on that very first day?  Yup!  We all sat in a circle and answered that same “age-old” question “…and, what would you like to be when you grow up?”

I can remember very clearly as a child and even as a teenager wanting to be an architect.  I wanted to have an office in my home and carry around those tubes filled with architectural drawings.  I always thought Sam Baldwin was cool.  (Be sure to leave a comment if you figure out that connection)

For some reason as I grew older, people stopped asking me that question.  I guess it was probably out of respect for my age.  Or, maybe they assumed I was living my dream.  But if I were to be honest, I’ve never stopped asking myself that question.  And furthermore, I hope I never do!  I now wonder if that’s even the correct question to be asking.  Maybe the more important question is, “Do we reach an age where we outgrow any opportunity to dream?”  Think about it.  Doesn’t that seem a bit sad?

That would mean whatever I’m doing at this arbitrary age is what I’m destined to do the remainder of my life.  WOW!  What a dream killer!  My father did one thing all of his life.  And, that worked out very well for him.  I can honestly say I never heard my parents talking about my father changing jobs.  But, I’m different.  And I’m guessing some of you may be different, too.  Whether you choose and settle into one career early in your life or you reach a point in your life where you’re open to new and exciting challenges, I don’t believe either is wrong.  Thankfully, everyone is unique and life rarely follows a distinct road map.

My point (I knew you were wondering if I had a point) is this: I currently hold a very nice position at a major university.  And yet that was never, ever my answer to that “age-old” question that was posed to me so often as a child.  I sometimes wonder what my answer to that question would be today.  I guess when that bit of grey hair starts to creep into your temple area, the time for asking that “age-old” question has long since passed.  Or, has it?  (To be continued)

I spent this past Saturday as a photography student – and, I loved every moment of it!!  I was required to submit five of my photographs for professional evaluation prior to the class.  I wanted to present a variety of shots, rather than five similar photos all depicting the same subject category.  With that in mind, these are the five I selected.

If you’ve been following my blog since the beginning, you’ll probably remember these shots as they’ve all appeared in various posts.

I realize I changed gears rather abruptly from the subject matter to the photos I posted.  That’s because I decided I would need to finish this post at a later date.  So if you stop by tomorrow, I’ll be sharing Part 2, which will hopefully help us face that question once again no matter what your age may be.

Thanks for stopping by.  I’ll see you tomorrow.

~ by photographyfree4all on September 14, 2010.