...I Want To Be Just Like You.
If i had a dollar for every time someone in the past has asked me 'who do you admire?', i'd definately be much closer to buying my guitar. However, even though i've been asked so many times, i've always been somewhat stuck for answers. The other day it struck me that the lack of direction and goals in my life has become more and more prominent as i got closer to graduation and further away from anyone who bore any resemblance to a role model in the past. So, i sat down to thinking about who i could look up to, in hopes of getting some kind of perspective or aim.
When i was little, the people i admired were probably as significant as the pretty lady in pink who worked at the Fairy Shop, or maybe the pretty blonde girl on 'Captain Planet'. I know that i thought that they were pretty cool. But after that, i sort of ran dry. Needless to say, a cartoon character and a 30-year-old woman still working in a tiny shop on the fringe of town aren't the role models i'd have today.
So, i sat down in the hovel and started thinking. A few hours later, interupted by a number of episodes of 'Dawson's' and a few MSN conversations, i had some semblance of a list of people whom i admired. These people are people who have made something of themselves. They haven't necessarily become self-made millionaires, or achieved the un-achievable. But they have made themselves into people who they are happy to be. They are confident and successful in their lives, not afraid to be themselves just because of what other people may think.
Number one on that list would be the minister at my church. He's about 37 and has a successful career that really means a great deal to him. He's found his passion and he's living his life with it. He's got a wife that he adores and four gorgeous children. Even though he works incredibly hard, he still finds plenty of time to be a fantastic father, taking his kids on fortnight-long camping trips in the middle of nowhere, or fishing for the weekend, or even just watching a movie with them every sunday afternoon, without fail. Ever since i met him, which borders on close to ten years now, he's been like a father to me. I've probably spent as much time with him as with my dad, talk to him more than my dad, and he's always been so protective of me, with no real reason. He's the kind of person i want to grow up to be - doing something i love, with someone i love, and caring for the people i love like he cares for the people close to him. I want to be a parent just like him. So i think that's a pretty good role model, don't you?
Number two? This is where it get's a little trickier. After some thought, i came up with a pair of people whom, together, are worthy of the admiration of everyone who knows them. This couple was always meant for each other. Everyone knew it, even when they denied it like anything :P So, no surprise, they got married. Now they have the most beautiful baby boy in the entire world, whom i adore. These two people are so in sync with each other, together they cover for each others disorganisations or enthusiasms or whatever. One has a Ph.D in nanotechnology, of all things, and is now training to be a minister, spending his time amusing kiddies at my church. And doing a damn fine job of it too! His other half? A teacher, one of the most caring and fantastic people i know and definately one of the nicest. Both of them have lived overseas, are following their dreams and are fast becoming fantastic parentals. Why admire them? Well, if these two can find such perfect matches, manage to find their way along their chosen paths and are doing so fantastically that there is no way BUT to admire them!
I admire my Classics teacher, who is so young but already so successful! She's head of history and of SACE and she's only about 30! She handles everything herself; while she is in close contact with her family, she's in no way completely dependant on them. I admire her because she is a success and what she does and is able to recognise and achieve her aims without compromising herself. She knows what she wants and won't change herself to get there, with a close set of friends who she knows she can trust and rely on. I could live with that.
The last people who meet the criteria to get them on the list of people worthy of my admiration are a trio of guys who i've gotten to know recently. Between the three of them, they're doing some pretty amazing things. One is a successful manager of a section of a business, he works hard, never slacking off just because he feels like some fun. That said, he's hardly a dull boy, always good for a laugh. And if you need someone to talk to? Believe it or not, he's a guy who can actually listen to others without judging them, managing to offer some decent advice too. Guy number two? Not only has he moved to a foreign country before his twenties, but he's now found a job, is in a highly competitive course at uni and is doing well and has a fantastic girlfriend. But, more than this, and more importantly, he is one of the nicest, most supportive, intelligent, sweet, funny people that i have ever met. He's not one of those stupid guys who treats girls as if they were just some kind of possession or prize. He's nice to them, going out of his way to make them feel good - actually, he doesn't go out of his way; it just IS his way. He wouldn't ever think of doing anything differently! And the final guy? Well, he's 20 years old and can hold his own. Despite the insecurities and troubles of life, he doens't let them stand in the way of his becoming who he wants to be. By 22 he would have travelled all over the world, seeing all sorts of things, experiencing life beyond little old Adelaide. He is independant, successful at school and work, has a great personality and is a talented musician - whether he believes it or not. Together, these three guys are fun, caring and generally fantastic people to be around, without fail making you feel better. Why admire these people? Well, i want to grow up to be just like them. With the ability to be who i want, do what i want, doing my own thing, on my own terms...
Ok, so there are the people i admire. And if i can grow up to be like them, i'll be one happy chappy. So, wish me luck!
Now-someone-with-role-models,
Annie
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