Living the Dream

I had a dream...

When I was young there was one dream that I esteemed above all others. No, it wasn't the dream of a decent hairstyle (hey, parts down the middle were "in") or the dream of a turtleneck that was actually fastened in the back...

My dream was to be an entertainer. I didn't want to just be a movie star, I wanted to sing and dance and truly entertain. I wanted to be adored and thought of as adorable. I was sure that some time while walking down the street or vacuuming or waiting for the school bus, I'd be "discovered" by some talent scout (because of course the talent scouts would always be looking for fresh talent in Gresham, OR). Seriously, it didn't matter what I was doing, I was REALLY singing and dancing and waiting to be discovered.

In truth, I wanted to be Shirley Temple! I was
so jealous of her (little did I know that she
was already a grown up when I launched
my fierce campaign to dethrone her as
"the greatest child entertainer").


Sadly, my dreams of being the next Shirley Temple were never realized. I grew up, completely undiscovered (except for a few stake events and that incredibly awesome dance routine I choreographed to the music "Everybody Ought to Have a Body" for the West Gresham Grade School talent show).

Years of disappointment were followed by nearly forgetting my earliest goals in life. And then, it happened ...

Yesterday as I was singing "One" from A Chorus Line in order to entertain my "One" (of course I changed the lyrics so it was all about her), I realized that I have indeed come full circle. Once again, I am singing and dancing and entertaining my way through life. I have a captive audience who giggles and smiles at me (and I'm sure she'd clap if only she could). What could be better? I'm living my dreams!

My audience of "One":