I have a thing for writing prompts. When I was in elementary school, my favorite part of English class was when a teacher would assign a writing prompt and let each student totally customize their homework. I always preferred that type of assignment over practicing grammar drills ;).
Sometimes I browse Pinterest or the internet for writing prompts when I journal, and I thought it would be fun to share one on the blog and ask for your answers, too! So without further ado, here’s the prompt!
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up, and how has that changed over time?
- A picture of me in elementary school… eating a cookie, I think? The best part of the picture is Hannah casually eating a microphone in the background.
As a child, I can remember wanting to be three things: a veterinarian, author, and marine biologist.
I loved all things animals, especially dogs. I had about two million stuffed animals and Beanie Babies, and I knew all of their names. One of my favorite books that I made my poor mom read me each night was about naked mole rats. Last year, I found a notebook that I began writing a book in. I was probably in second grade when I wrote it. I titled the story “The Land of the Animals” and it was about a girl who went to live in a village-type place that was filled with animals and she was the town’s veterinarian. She owned a dog, bird, and lizard. I can still remember writing that story, and wanting the main character to be me. I was enchanted with the idea of creating my own world on paper and stepping into it with my imagination.
Looking back, it’s kind of cool to see that I connected my love of animals with writing at a young age. As I grew up, I became interested in marine life. I adored (and still do) learning about whales and sharks. Whales are simply amazing, and unfathomable to me. I think that’s why today, I geek out over Shark Week on Discovery Channel and reference the documentary Blackfish in random conversations at least once a week, haha.
A pre-teen me spending time by the ocean in Virginia.
The marine biologist dreams stuck with me until my junior year of high school. I actually started to look into going to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington because I read that they had a great marine biology program. I don’t know what discouraged me from actually pursuing that dream (maybe all of the science classes?), but I’m okay with it.
Over time, the central themes of my interest in writing and animals haven’t changed much. I still adore writing, and earned my Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State. The first article I wrote for the school’s newspaper was about whether or not pit bulls were inherently dangerous because of their breed. Today, I do some freelance writing, and have a lot of fun with my blog. For me, writing is about sharing and connecting. Whether it’s ideas, memories, or dreams, writing is the best way I process life.
I also pet sit, which is basically one of my dream jobs. I know people might not think that being a pet sitter is a lofty aspiration, but it makes me happy, so I’m going with it. Over time, I’ve also been interested in other topics like midwifery, baking, deaf culture, health, and photography, but haven’t pursued any of them as a career (yet..?).
I think what I’ve learned from this writing prompt is that my younger self knew what she wanted and was interested in at a pretty young age. It’s amazing to think that God gives each person different passions, talents, and abilities and it’s up to us to use (and enjoy!) them for His work. Now, I’d like to know what your answer to the prompt!
