future

Go with Your Gut

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View of Johnstown, PA from the Inclined Plane on the 127th Anniversary of the Great Johnstown Flood.

The City of Johnstown on May 31st, 2016 – the 127th Anniversary of the Great Johnstown Flood.

Last week I told you that I would be writing a post about the Great Johnstown Flood of 1889. This week, to be honest, I’m just not feeling it. While the flood happened more than 120 years ago, it’s something that is very personal for me. You see, my family has lived in Johnstown and the surrounding area for generations. I know that I had family who were in town for all of the floods and deeply impacted by them. I don’t have first hand accounts of the floods, just memories of my grandparents memories of family talking about the Great Flood. But still, talking about the flood, and the thousands that died, usually makes me pretty melancholy. Since my life the last few weeks have been enough to make the sunniest person blue, I decided it might be best to table the planned post for now. I will get there (and hopefully be able to share with you something I wrote for a local magazine about the people of my hometown), but today I’m going to focus on the future.

To be extremely honest, the future isn’t looking all that sunny either, but it’s got potential. I’m still looking for work and my husband is still very ill. But, and that is a huge but, there are good thing on the horizon. Our oldest daughter finishes her Junior year of high school today and has been making plans abut what she wants to do next. We’ve got at least two colleges to tour and all the excitement of Senior Year to look forward to. No matter how I see things for myself right now, her future looks bright and I know she’ll be amazing.

Our youngest is a ball of energy and extremely intelligent – a combination to behold. One minute she’s discussing the advantages of different Pokemon and the next she’s talking about science and math at levels beyond the average 5th (soon to be 6th) grader. I’m sure that this summer will be filled with experiments and finding ways to keep her mind and body busy on a daily basis.

Fortunately, our town is filled with all kinds of great low or no cost things to do. We can easily spend most, if not all day, at a local library. There are parks to explore and free activities almost every weekend. And of course the local mall is open for strolling and window shopping when the weather gets to hot.

I don’t know for sure what the future holds. What I do know is that sometimes you need to go with your gut. When your gut tells you it’s not the right time to write something deeply personal that brings you down, it’s a good idea to listen. When it tells you that it’s time to focus on the positive in your life and share that with the ones of followers who read your blog, listen to your gut.

When I Grow Up….

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I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what I want to be when I grow-up. Again. I realize that I’m a full-blown adult (though at times I still don’t know how that happened). And I know that I have a family, a job, and a whole life that I need to live on a daily basis. But still, I wonder. Someone poised the question to me a while back during the Mega Millions fever that gripped the nation. If you could do anything, be anything, what do you want to be when you grow up? The honest answer is, I don’t know. Yes, there are things I would change. No, I wouldn’t walk away from the life I have now. I have a family and friends and nothing will ever change their importance in my eyes. It’s the other stuff…you know…the job you have, the kind of work you do. What if you were 10 years old again and the sky was limit. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Child with dream bubble

What did you dream of being when you were a child?

I think I would do much of the same things I’m doing now, just differently. I’ve always wanted my own production company, but if I had the option to do anything with it I would gear it towards non-profits and small business needing storytelling help and advice. I’d work with them on getting their on-line presence planned out and put in place. And, perhaps, most importantly to them, I would do it at an extremely reasonable cost. After all, if I didn’t have to work every day and was doing what I love to do, I wouldn’t be as worried about all the grown-up concerns that come with needing a job.If I could do anything, I would use my talents and experience to help good people with great potential reach their goals.

What about you? If you could do or be anything, what would you do when you grow up?