An image of myself popped into my head of being in Kindergarten and drawing a picture of myself as a farmer. I remember my teacher Ms. Eiler asking us to draw ourselves as what we wanted to be when we grew up. I don't know if I was constantly asked to draw 'what I wanted to be' over and over, or if I just liked to draw myself as a farmer, but either way, the image of how I used to draw myself as a farmer is clearly marked in my mind.
I tried to re-draw it on Microsoft paint, because it helps to reflect the shaky lines a kindergartner has.
here's what I drew:
Simple, yet I get my point across. I remember my mom telling me I used to draw my feet and hands like bird's feet--3 prong claws. I used to draw all other animal's feet like that, too. The addition to the drawing that made me a farmer was the blue overalls. I loved overalls, and the thought of being able to wear them all day made me very happy. When I worked on a farm in Argentina a year ago, I found a wore pair of overalls in the community clothes draw, and they fit me perfectly. I wore them everyday.
When people asked me why I wanted to be a farmer, the answer was simple: Because farmers have a lot of animals. I wanted to have a lot of animals. I still do.
So when did my priorities change?
What happened to my dream of the simple farmer's life?
Somewhere between the swirling tornado of teenage hood, the complexities of college life, and our (me included) desire for things: ipods, a new bicycle, airplane tickets, new clothes, jewelry, dinner at restaurants, my life now requires me to have a job that provides me with more income than a humble farmer's life would.
Would I be more happy if I gave it all up to grow turnips? or to raise goats or chickens? I would certainly get the pack of animals I've always desired.
Certainly as children our dreams reflect our purest desires.
Do I still want to be a farmer?
yes, sometimes I do.
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