Mrs G, The Birds and where I am now...

Some things don't change though, I loved babies back then and I love babies now!

Do you ever stop sometimes and think about what you're doing career wise? And ponder whether or not you're doing what you thought you would do when you were in primary school or high school?

One of my favourite primary school teachers died last week after a long battle with illness. I really have a lot to thank her for. I've been think about this and more specifically, what I liked about her, what she taught me, what I was good at school and where I ended up.

She was my teacher in grade 6, my final year of primary school. My grade 5 teacher let us write in pen but Mrs G made us go for our pen license to prove our writing was neat enough. We got to run a lunch event at school (we didn't have a school canteen so this was an annual treat), and we had to apply for positions. I got to run that Arstie the Pastie food day after applying for the position with a 'proper' application. I realise now that was teaching us life skills. She read us To Kill a Mockingbird, which is still one of my favourite books. She did that because she trusted we had the maturity to be challenged with content like that. She encouraged my love of reading. She did have us watch Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds though, which probably explains my fear of birds... She got me to sit down and help kids who were struggling with English. She understood the naughty boys and knew exactly how to handle them.

I saw her a few times at the supermarket since finishing school. Last time I saw her she gave me a big hug and told me to have a great life. She knew she wouldn't see me again. It amazes me how strong people can be when they know that their time on earth is coming to an end.

So her death has gotten me thinking. She made a marked impression on me as did other teachers. There was also Mr Slattery and Ms Cooper in high school. I LOVED English and Literature. They were the highlight of my schooling in academic terms. I found the work easy and enjoyable (calculus, not so much). I did really well in those subjects and from that I guess you would think that's where my career path would lead? Apparently not. I often think if I bumped into them now and they asked what I was doing they'd be surprised I'm a nurse.

How did I end up a nurse? I used to set up Intensive Care units in the loungeroom for all my toys using my Dad's leftover medical equipment (he was a paramedic). All I wanted was to be a paediatrician. That dream was interupted when I got Glandular Fever and which led to chronic fatigue in my final three years of high school. I ended up doing year 12 over two years and then a year of another course, then decided to transfer into nursing.

I do love it and I get to spend a lot more time with patients than I would as a doctor. But I'm not writing like I did in school (patient notes don't count). I miss writing, especially creative writing. My blog has been great for a writing outlet of sorts. I would, however, love to write a book one day. It'd have to be fictional though. I just need to come up with a concept that is interesting enough for people to want to read.

Are you doing a version of what you used to enjoy as a child or an adolescent? Have you ended up where you thought you would? Do you love what you're doing? Do you still hold onto a dream from when you were younger? Are you fulfilling some of your dreams? Is there a legitimate reason for not chasing the other ones?