What do you want to be when you grow up?

What do you want to be when you grow up?  That age old question seems appropriate right about now. A new crop of high school and college graduates are about to leave one world behind and enter another. It would appear to be a good year to enter the job market now that the pandemic, or at least the deaths and hospitalizations, is on the wane. This morning’s job report said 500,000 plus Americans were recently hired which bodes well for all the young folks anxious to get out there and test their skills.

I’ve reached that age when I have more to look back at than to look forward to and I realize I’ve never quite been able to answer the question of what I wanted to be. Problem was, I could never narrow it down to one thing. It’s a mighty  big world out there and despite the increasing number of constraints on folks pursuing their passions there’s always been and still are a lot of interesting avenues available for those willing and inclined to give it a try. 

The list of things I wanted to do is way too long to list here but the reality of course is that most of them remain in the realm of woulda, coulda, shoulda. I’d hazard a guess that may be true for many of you as well. One of the things I would do if granted a return visit to this beautiful blue orb is spend more time on the ocean. I’ve covered a lot of land but given the earth is two thirds water my time gazing at a wave-filled horizon has been far too limited. There’s a young couple I follow on YouTube that are sailing the world in their catamaran. Not sure how they can afford what they’re doing but they’re in Tonga (in the South Pacific) soon headed to New Zealand. I’d certainly have traded my cubicle world for what they’re doing and seeing in a heartbeat. 

I did have the chance to get out for another look at one of the active mines near Leadville. I would love to have walked Leadville at its height in the late 1800’s so it’s interesting to see that the aspirations of pulling wealth out of the ground live on today. Here’s a short peek at what’s going on at one of the gold mines: