by Patricia Parker

Created on: February 20, 2010   Last Updated: February 21, 2010

"And, little girl, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

I resisted the urge to tell my mother's friend that I was seven years old and grown up but I answered sweetly that I would like to be either an Archaeologist, a historian, an Anthropologist or an author. I think my mother's friend was as surprised at my big words as much as she was surprised at my childhood aspirations.

All I knew at age seven was that I didn't want to teach. I didn't want to be a nurse. I didn't want to be a mother. Those were about the most common careers available to girls in the dark ages of the 1950's. I lived in a small town and I wanted excitement. Even at seven, I knew that watching the local 4th of July parade strut around the square was not going to be the pinnacle of my life's excitement.

When I was about twelve, I found a book at the library about ancient Egypt and all its Pharaohs. For years I immersed myself in stories of the pyramids, the gods, the inbreeding mysteries and political intrigues of this ancient civilization. I knew the succession of five hundred Pharaohs and lived and breathed everything I could about King Tut. This is how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I wanted to travel to Egypt, put on working gloves and a sun visor and start digging. But, there was a fly in the pyramidal ointment, of course. I'd have to go to a university that specialized in Egyptology. I'd have to work for an advanced degree. I'd have to learn a new language. I'd have to have enough money to do this. I didn't.

Just about the time the bloom was fading from my Egypt quest, my high school assigned me to a U.S. history course. I had discovered a new life's passion. I loved history. I loved learning about our early American colonists, our founding fathers, our constitution. I had the knack for remembering dates, battles and generals. I began absorbing American history like a dry sponge. Everything came alive for me when I would find some interesting new fact about some little known event. I wanted to be a historian.

I didn't want to write about history or even teach it. I think I just wanted to re-live it. It remains a constant with me today.

Anthropology fascinated me as it closely tied into my Egypt and history passions. I loved learning about the different prehistoric peoples and their relationships with the earth and each other. Anthropology as a science was not as appealing to me as Anthropology as a means to delve into a world of long ago. I still get a chill when I read that National Geographic has published a new study detailing the age of man to be much older than supposed.

Being an author and writing about and sharing my passions and knowledge is what I want to be today when I grow up. I'm still in the growing up process. Although my body is developed and is now a bit sagging, my mind is still evolving. I like to think that I am a lifelong learner and that maybe someday I can combine all my youthful dreams into one mind bending story.

What I would like to be when I grow up is a person who inspires others to pursue their childhood fantasies. Even if I can't do this, the joy and the knowledge that I have gained from all my reading will suffice.

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