As I'm sitting here thinking about my thesis proposal my mind is drifting a little, so I'm taking a break to dream about "when I grow up"...
My friends, my sister, and my cousins and I used to talk and dream about what our future lives would be like. When we were about 12, my cousin Olivia and I had big plans of going to law school and moving to New York or D.C to be big movers and shakers, and look fabulous doing it!
...and while we both look absolutely fabulous doing our respective jobs, I do NOT find a career in law or politics the least bit appealing. Elle Woods still inspires me.
At another point in life (only a few short years later) I was dead set on marine biology and was completely convinced that I was going to make my life swimming among the fish (because that's all marine biologists do, right?) and live in a big giant house on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii...
But in college I figured out a few things: first of all, marine biologists study marine life, but a lot of their job takes place in a lab doing research (which actually often involves a lot of ecology and toxicology), than swimming in the ocean...and that's much more chemistry than I was mentally willing to commit myself to. Also, despite what many might think, most researchers really aren't making "Hawaii Mansion" salaries. Who knew? Finally, it turns out living on Hawaii actually has many more drawbacks than advantages. Like the hellacious flight back to Michigan to see family, and outrageous cost of living, and possible looming threat of a tsunami.
So what is my ideal future now?
Well, I'm kind of living it :) After all, in a few weeks I will be in SPAIN for a conference!!
At least a very important part of it is being lived right now. Ever since I started taking part in scientific research labs I knew that I wanted to be a scientist (see pre-colligiate dream description above). Every day I get excited to get out of bed and head over to the lab and see my friends and debate topics dealing in human cognition; like reading comprehension, argumentation, and other various facets of discourse processes (how people understand and participate in discourse).
But in an ideal future world, I suppose it's my dream to get that coveted professorship at a university in a city reasonably close to the rest of my family. In my truly ideal world my family will live down the street from my sister's family, and our kids will be BFFs. Also my best friend and my twin cousin will live in the same town and we'll see them all the time. Is it a silly dream? Yep. Because I chose a field where I may not get to chose where I go next, and where the work is. Is this ideal world likely? probably about as likely as my Hawaiian mansion dream. But it's a dream. And I've ALWAYS had one (so it seems silly to stop now!). So even if it never comes true, as far as I can tell what ends up being the best fit for me ends up prevailing anyway.
But for now my thesis calls. Gotta go.
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