Good news, my three-year-old has announced that she’s going to be a dragon when she grows up. Not just any old dragon, she’s going to be a mean-eyed, fire-breathing dragon with wings so she can fly. And not the extinct kind, the ALIVE kind.  I’m not sure if I’m frightened or proud of her creative vision and determination. A little bit of both, I think.  I’m ashamed to admit that when presented with this information, I may have suggested that she will always be a human, even when she’s big. Eleanor gasped in great offense and shed a possible tear. I hadn’t even had time to mention that dragons are pretend before I had to back pedal. I shut my mouth, smiled big, gave her a high-five, and congratulated her on her future dragon-ness.

Crisis averted, but I was an obvious wet blanket on the fire of her big dragon dream.  Is it possible that I do this often? Yep. Is that who I want to be? Nope. What if I made a more conscious effort to be an encourager with my daughter?  With my friends and family?  And—GASP—what if I afforded myself this same courtesy?

For a brief moment in my young childhood, somewhere between wanting to be a teacher and a lawyer, I wanted to be a ballerina. That was a lofty goal considering that my ballet career began and ended with a one season stint in a three-year-old dance class where my final performance included crying on the recital stage before receiving the perfect attendance trophy that my mom had to use angry eyes to secure. The ballerina dream faded quickly and my dreams evolved, but, thanks to the future dragon in my midst, I’m channeling the little girl who believed, against all evidence to the contrary, that she could be a ballerina.

I’m 38 now, but I want to be a writer and some days that seems as ridiculous and unattainable as being a ballerina. While my practical brain wants to smother out everything that isn’t reasonable and realistic, there’s a little piece of me that thinks there just might be power in believing in the grandiose. There’s a little sliver of me that thinks maybe I can be whatever I want to be.  I think maybe you can, too.  At the very least, we may find happiness in the pursuit.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Quick question.  Are you grown up, yet?  Me either.  So maybe, just maybe, you still have time for an extravagant dream.  You know what might bring that dream of your within reach?  Taking a step toward it.

Good news, if your big dream includes being a mean-eyed, fire-breathing dragon with wings so you can fly, Eleanor has informed me that she’s open to having dragon friends.