Soon To Be Ten

So, I had a request. A commenter asked that I write about "me" (meaning her) and what she says she wants to be when she grows up. I shall accommodate.

My youngest wants to be a million things when she grows up. This is a distinctive characteristic of hers -- she wants to experience EVERYTHING. Afraid to let an opportunity pass by without drinking all of the nourishment and pleasure she can get out of it. A wonderful gift from God, this enthusiasm about life (although it will need to be tempered with wisdom as less "nourishing" opportunities become more and more available to her . . .)

We've discussed this question of her future career endeavors off and on over the past couple of years. Every once in a while, she seems to have this sudden sense of urgency about getting all her ducks in order for the rest of her life -- who she's going to marry, what job she's going to have, where she's going to go to college, etc. etc. She's a planner. Like her mama.

I keep telling her she doesn't need to worry about those specifics yet; she just needs to start figuring out what her gifts are and where her passions lie. If she's learning about herself and developing her God-given abilities to their fullest, God will open doors when the time comes. Her job now is not to identify the door, but to be ready for the passing through.

As I said, she's a planner, like me. She likes to have structure and routine in her life, although she needs to shake up that routine once in a while. She's a great story-teller -- an amazing ear for dialogue and a good sense of the rhythm of natural language and how to re-create that. She has boundless energy and enthusiasm. She is able to stick to a task until it is completed, at least more so than most kids her age, I think. And she's an incurable ham.

Teaching has come up as an option for her; after all, good teaching is a combination of preparation, story-telling, diagnosis, and theater. Writing also appeals to her and would be a good fit. Frankly, the notion that stands out to me most at the moment is . . . a "television personality"! She's already a personality in her own right.

Eastin turns 10 this week. I remember the anticipation I felt when she was born. I had already watched one baby of mine develop from an infant to a four-year-old little human with her own unique personality, interests, abilities and quirks. I simply couldn't WAIT to see what this new child was going to be like! Now she's going to be 10. And my anticipation has only increased!