Childhood Dreams

Articles and books about finding your true calling or right livelihood urge readers to begin the journey by thinking back to what they loved to do as a child. I find that when I'm put on the spot to remember, my mind goes blank. I think, "What did I like to do? I can't remember a thing. Or is it that I didn't like to do anything? Oh my!"

I recall very little about my preschool years other than having a children's Bible study at our house and loving the music. "The B-I-B-L-E! Yes that's the book for me! I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!" At 3 or 4 years old, I didn't have a clue what that meant, but I loved the tune and I sang my little heart out.

Here are the activities I remember loving (not in order of importance):

1. I loved to read. My favorite Christmas gifts were Bobbsey Twin or Little House on the Prairie Books. And Santa stuffed my stocking with them. I still remember getting up early to discover new treasures to read!
   
2. I loved, loved, loved Little Women and read it at least 5 times. I pretended to be Jo. Same for Christy. I pretended to be Christy.
   
3. I loved to put on song and dance routines with my best friend. "Eleanor Rigby" was a favorite song when I was 8.
4. I had a hate-love relationship with piano. Started lessons at 7, hated them, quit at 8, begged for lessons again at 9 and continued for about 10 years. I can't play piano anymore but it was my #1 stress reliever and I miss it. If I was sad, I played piano. If happy, I played piano. Depressed? Piano. Mad? Piano. You get the picture. I'm so glad Melonie has my piano now and there's nothing I love more than to hear her play.
   
5. I had a white and pink bike that I'd hop on Saturday morning and rode and played until Mom called me in for dinner. My bike's name was "Flicka" because I had just read the book, My Friend Flicka.
6. I loved animals. I used to pore through the "D" encyclopedia, looking at all the dogs. I traced them, studied the breeds, memorized facts about them.
   
7. I loved animals so much that I cried my eyes out when my uncles shot the gophers in the horse pasture. My grandma tried to reason with me, "But Debbie, the gophers make holes in the pasture and if a horse steps in it, it will break its leg and then the horse will have to be shot. You don't want that to happen, do you?" Of course I didn't, so knowing that the gophers AND the horses were going to die just made me cry harder.
8. My aunt thought I'd become a veterinarian.
9. We had a coulee near our house - I know not everyone calls them coulees - it was a little wildlife area with a creek. I loved to play there - usually acting out Little House on the Prairie. I liked to pretend I was Laura. Mary was too prim and proper.
10. My older brother and I played marathon monopoly games. We were incredibly competitive. Those games would go on for days. I always wanted to win but I don't think I did.
    
11. And finally, my favorite thing to do was snuggle in my bed with a plate of molasses cookies, a good book, and my mom's hair dryer, blowing the hot air on my legs while reading and eating. Heavenly!
    

What a wonderful childhood!