The early years

As a young lad I can remember being asked the question,"what do you want to be when you grow up?".

This question always got me thinking. In the younger years the only reason you would even dream about wanting to be grown up was so that you could stay up later. So my answers revolved around what I believed the adults wanted me to say. Stuff like I want to be a policeman, a doctor, a professional hockey player. But I am pretty sure allI was looking for back then was recognition. I wanted to hear the adults tell me that I could be anything I put my mind to.

But there was a day when I realized that I did want something when I grew up. It was money. You see my mom rasied me and my sister for a number of years alone. And during those years I was exposed to the harsh truth that money may not buy hapiness, but it does fill your belly and keep you warm and if you are lucky comfortable.

I have an uncle who is a dentist. He is a good guy. At a pretty young age I realized that dentists make some good cash. So because I wanted cash when I grew up I decided that I wanted to be a dentist. and for a number of years I stuck to that dream. Be a dentist - get money. Get money - be comfortable.

Then one day those dreams came crashing down around me. Growing up I didn't enjoy school much. For reasons I won't get into right now. I did alright but nothing special. So whe I found out that it was going to take approximately 8 years of school after high school to become a dentist, and how much school was going to cost to be a dentist. Splat! I was looking for the new dream again.