This semester, my practicum assignment is to work with adults. On Wednesdays, I work with adults with developmental disabilities. It's basically like working with hormonal 8 year olds. They make for some chuckles, but that's for another entry.

On Fridays, I work with older adults that have suffered from strokes or other neurogenic problems. It's a couple of hours of sitting and listening to the stories and wisdom that the older people have to share. We talk about life before their strokes, and play a lot of bingo. I don't feel like it is a population I will work with when I start my career, but it is an experience, nonetheless.

Yesterday, in our large group, we talked about jobs. First jobs, careers, and jobs that we wished we had chosen to work at. The last discussion was the most interesting. As each man or woman shared what they would have done with their lives if they could go back and change things, I noticed one key thing: most all involved helping people and persuing passions that has been suppressed a long time ago. One man wished he had been a history teacher so he could be a positive male role model for teenagers. Another's first job had been at Red Lobster, and he wished he could open a breakfast resteraunt, since his passion was cooking. Another had been an engineer up until the time of his accident, and couldn't see himself doing anything else. As I become an adult, I realize how rare that is, to find your passion and persue it wholeheartedly.

The most memorable, for me, was a lady who wished she had been a writer. She wanted to write commedy novels so she could make people smile. I suggested she should start a blog. I think the suggestion was partially to myself, as I shared that I would major in English so I would have an excuse to read classics, write, and teach or go to seminary. Maybe that's why I have a blog. As a creative outlet.

Can you persue it all? Can you help people while persuing other passions as well? Or is wishing and wondering what would have been if you had done something else inevitable? I think it's interesting that you won't ever know.