Do you remember the days when you were younger and all you had was the future? You would spend hours dreaming of all the great things you would do, how you would help others and the world around you. In school teachers would ask "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I remember answering that based on my passions at that time. I wanted to be an archeologist, yet more specifically an Egyptologist. I loved the adventure of digging up history and culture. These were people's lives. I would spend hours in my room studying Egyptian hieroglyphics, customs, religion and their stories in fascination.
At what point do we stray from these dreams and passions? When was it that I had to be something practical? Did I choose my future to make someone else's life easier? I think for me I made those choices perhaps to please others, but also because I didn't know yet what would make me happy. I'm still struggling with finding what makes me truly happy. I must say, though, that over the past year of discovering who I am, I have come closer to finding my answer than ever.
Do those things that determine our happiness change as we grow older too? Will the things that make me happy right now fade away? I think so. I know that certain things from my childhood that made me happy wouldn't bring me the same excitement today. Life is a constantly changing and morphing journey that keeps us on our toes. Though sometimes that may seem like an undesirable way to live, I couldn't imagine it any other way. How dull it would be without the constant flux!
I will continue living knowing that all I've encountered along my path and all the choices I've made ultimately shape me and make up my life's legacy. I think my new question will not be "What do I want to be when I grow up", rather "What do I want my legacy to be?" How would you answer that question?
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