Flashback Friday

Linda, at Mocha With Linda, provides the questions for Flashback Friday. Want to play? Click over there, copy the button and questions and answer away...


What did you want to be when you grew up?
In 8th grade we had to research careers that interested us, job shadow someone who worked in one of them and write a lengthy report.
According to this report from 1977, I wanted to be either an interpreter, a florist, a kindergarten teacher or a fiction writer.

Why did you want to be that, and did you do it?

I've always loved to write. Back in the 70's I wrote stories all the time. Still have some of them in the same box where I keep this report. That must be why I wanted to be a writer.

I also enjoyed little kids and having authority, so that might explain the kindergarten teacher idea.

I have also always appreciated the beauty and intricacy of flowers. I remember liking the idea of getting paid to brighten days by arranging beautiful bouquets and delivering them in a sports car convertible that had my name printed on it. Heidi the Florist.

As for the interpreter idea. I did have an interest in languages. In high school I took two years of French, but realized you probably can't help foreign diplomats very much by answering everything with phrases from drills memorized to score an A on the Friday quizzes. "...Les Duponts arrive dans une heure..." That one would only help if the Duponts were arriving in one hour and what are the chances of that?

Did you consistently plan to be whatever it was, or did you change your mind often?

I still have trouble making a decision. I'm the type of person who never wants to miss anything... if I decide to do this thing, I may miss out on another very exciting thing....like that. I think now all the worry about missing the other thing may have caused me to miss the very thing that I should have done. At any rate, I think I was interested in these same things all along, but when it came time to go to college, I really had no clue what to do. I think I may have been afraid of failure, so decided it would be better to choose whatever was easiest instead of resolving to work hard to end up where I really wanted to be.
Did you do anything like volunteering or interning to give you a taste of your future occupation/role?

I job shadowed Mr. Aldrich at his floral shop for the eighth grade report. We had to answer a lot of questions about the person's job, like what the worker wore.
Maybe I didn't become a florist because I couldn't see myself wearing light blue and white plaid slacks. I don't know.


My junior year in college I interned as an assistant to a special events planner for the City of Philadelphia. This was a fabulous experience and a great job. Foreign diplomats showed up in this career, where I made dining arrangements for them and picked out the floral decorations for the tables- not too tall, so as not to impede conversation. I wrote press releases announcing the One City, One Song event at Christmastime and for many other events sponsored by the city. I met new people all the time and even attended some of the galas I helped plan. I definitely maybe should have stayed on this track and pursued this type of work after graduation.


Were you as happy/satisfied with what you became as you thought you would be?

I worked a short time as a recruiter for my Alma mater. That was a fun job, but my territory included Chicago and Minnesota. I was as fearful of driving back then as I am now and remember being so frazzled driving to Chicago on one of my recruiting trips that I had to pull over and just take a break from the craziness, even though I was in a construction zone on a crumbling shoulder of the freeway. Cars were zooming past at 70mph, but I just couldn't do it anymore, so I sat there and wondered how I'd ever re-enter the flow of traffic to get into the Windy City.

Then I worked as the activity director and volunteer coordinator for a nursing home. That was fun, but I didn't enjoy the endless charting required by the state. I married I.T. during this time. He was finishing his final semester of college, so this job provided our bread and butter. I felt like that I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan woman from the old commercial. And I liked that.

What surprised you?

It surprised me how quickly I became a mother- my new career- that has actually just recently ended. I'm surprised that I home educated three children for a total of 13 years during that motherhood career time. I'm surprised at a million things that happened during that motherhood career time. And I'm surprised how lost I am now that that motherhood career time is over.

Would you choose it again?

Yes. I would choose the motherhood career again. It was the most enjoyable, fulfilling, rewarding job I have ever done. Maybe I wish I'd worked as a special events coordinator for a big city for a few years first, I don't know. But motherhood- it has been the best.

Do you still want to be something else - either in addition to or instead of?

And this is where I am. Asking myself- what on earth do you want to be, Heidi? What on earth are you going to do with yourself now? I never stop thinking about it these days and frankly, it's making me nuts. I work in a bookstore, as a bookseller. I like it. I meet new people, help people find books, encourage people when I can and I get to read all the books I want and write book reviews for the store. But I don't know if this is what I am meant to do from now to 65. I am waiting.

Waiting is not my strong suit. But that is what I am struggling to do right now. I am waiting on the Lord. I know He will direct my path. He gave me what I needed to get my kids through Geometry in a home school setting even though I, myself, ended my high school Geometry course with a big, fat, stinkin' D-. And only God could have provided a break in the traffic that lasted long enough for me to edge back onto the freeway in Chicago. I'm trusting that He'll guide me through this next part of life just as he guided me through those terrifying times.

Thank you, Ms. Salisbury, for your 1977 vote of confidence!