So you want to be a mutant ninja...

Sometimes...you have to settle for second choice. I wanted to be a princess. My parents had the poor taste to not be royalty and my other options were extremely limited as princes were few and very far between.

My second choice wasn't quite attainable, either. I wanted to be an astronaut. However, I'm darned close to blind and have a chronic kidney problem. It seems that the federal astronaut programs want people in close to perfect health. Considering how hazardous it is to be an astronaut, it might not be a bad thing that I had to pass that ambition by.

Then I thought I wanted to be a star. I wasn't quite sure what kind of star I wanted to be, but I wanted to be someone who walked out on stages amid cheering and screams. It's a good thing I never saw that ambition realized. I get stage fright and claustrophobia. Nope, that would have been an awkward stressful life for me.

Of course, I suppose I could have settled into my next choice. I really, really wanted to be a spy á la Mrs. Pollifax. I mean, physically it would be possible for me to go down to Langley and offer my services. That secret yearning isn't totally beyond the realm of possibilities. Surely, in this day and age of terrorists and dangers to our nation, surely the CIA could find some use for me. Maybe I'll reserve that one for further consideration...

Dreams and wishes don't always come true, but that doesn't mean life is over. What it does mean is we find new dreams and wishes. We seek out new endeavors to embark on, new possibilities to explore. We seize the opportunities presented and search out every learning experience that comes our way. For only those prepared are able to take advantage of the golden ring when it arrives.

Hmmmm. Mutant ninja turtle, you say? Green shell? Check! Mutant? Definitely! Gonna have to work on that turtle bit...

anny