When I Grow Up...

As a sixth former in the middle of the oh-so-stressful experience of begging universities to offer me a place, I am constantly asked what I want to do when I grow up. Unfortunately "become a princess" is no longer an appropriate answer. I am now expected to reply with a sombre look on my face and sincerity in my eyes.

Cheerfully I reply that I want to be a writer and travel the world. Although this is a perfectly "acceptable" aspiration, I have often been warned about how "terribly competitive" journalism is now and how such-and-such knows so-and-so who is having a terrible time with it. As far as I'm concerned it's my dream and so will make it happen. An eternal optimist (you might call me naive) I believe that too many people give up and go home at the first sign of trouble. If you want something enough then you should make it happen - take on the challenge, take the bull by the horns or whatever other cliche you want to use. At the risk of smothering this post in cheese, I must add that I don't intend to give a pep talk, it's just that I would rather not hear about the trauma of so-and-so. Let me get excited about my ambition.

This is my dream right now, and I will use everything I have to achieve it but who knows  what's around the corner? Who even knows when you are officially "grown up" and does it even matter?

It's as if we all set ourselves a blurry deadline of ambition as if one day we'll say to ourselves "I'm now officially grown up". We are told in school to be mature and set an example, yet we are clearly not yet "grown ups". Then comes university-age. No comment. Does growing up mean leaving education? Or starting a family? Buying a house? If the latter is the case then it doesn't look like any of my generation will ever grow up the way things are going.

I feel like I have confused myself and in writing this I have changed my mind so many times that I can feel the cogs turning between my ears. So for now I'll say this, I want to write for a living and that is the most succinct answer I can trot out at a moment's notice. There are of course so many other things  I want to see and do... and I intend to try them all. In particular, I will one day open a cake-shop, with deliciously decorated treats to send a diabetic delirious. Watch this space...