It’s funny to think about… well, the way you thought as a kid.

For instance, I thought “right” and “left” switched sides annually. (Still have trouble with that one.) I also thought “prosecute” and “execute” were synonyms, so whenever I saw a sign that said “all trespassers will be prosecuted,” I was slightly terrified of walking on the wrong side of the road.

That said, I came across a journal from my 7th grade English class, and learned I was pretty spot-on when it came to what I wanted to be when I grew up. Granted in elementary school I thought I was either going to be an ice cream girl or an astronaut….. but by the time I reached the ripe age of 13, it seems I had most of my stars aligned. Evidence?

Case and point #1 — I have always loved to write and tada, it’s what I do! However, back in 7th grade I wasn’t really writing about health and fitness. The story I was referring to, Locust Beach, was actually about a young orphan named Josh, who escaped from his abusive foster home and started working at a corner store to save up money to buy a puppy. The store gets robbed and he is shot in the arm. His arm is amputated. (?) His manager buys him a puppy as a get well present. Then, Josh meets a cute girl, who pity’s him. They build a boat and sail to an island. With the dog. They fall in love.

Obviously, it was mix of tragedy, romance, and adventure. Shakespeare meets Twain, if you will.

Luckily, I gave a second answer too. If I couldn’t write, I would be what else, but a phys ed teacher. (Where the health/fitness comes in, how convenient!)

… little did I (sorta) know!

Perhaps my favorite snippet, though, was my concern with what students would call me if I ended up taking the teacher route. Since my last name is more or less impossible to pronounce, I hoped I could go by “Laura.” This captures my little “attitude problem”:

Either way, it was fun to stumble across this and see how oddly accurate my career choices were. I also now know that prosecute and execute do not mean the same thing, so I can breathe a bit easier.

Guess it’s not so bad to grow up.