Jonathots Daily Blog
(2131)
As a teenager, one of the greatest horrors was having relatives visit, and feeling the need to communicate with me, they landed on one of two awkward questions:
- How’s school?
- What do you want to do when you grow up?
Concerning the first question, how’s school?–it’s similar to asking an inmate about his progress in the prison.
And the second question is a bear trap lest you answer incorrectly, with an occupation they deem unacceptable … well, you may end up becoming part of a beheading.
I finally got fed up with the inquiry and told my stuffy Presbyterian aunt that I had aspirations of becoming a Buddhist monk. Gasping, barely able to catch her breath, she turned to my parents in alarm and said, “Did you know about this?”
I quickly retracted my statement, explaining that although I had the waistline of the Buddha, I did not share his politics.
Now, I have a granddaughter who will become fifteen years old on Monday. A recent survey of fifteen-year-olds asked the question: what do you want to be when you grow up? The top five answers: (1) Rich (2) Famous (3) Powerful (4) Beautiful (5) Sexy
So to my fifteen-year-old granddaughter, Isabella, let me say that when I grow up, I do want to be rich–possessing one more dollar than I need.
Certainly famous, in the sense of dazzling the handful sent my way.
Powerful? Yes. I fully intend to bring energy to wherever I am and whatever I’m doing, to make it more productive and joyful.
Now we come to beautiful. I guess my definition of that would be to bring along a complete package of myself that makes people want to be with me.
And finally, sexy. Yes, it is truly sexy to find one person who continues to yearn for your touch.
I do not know whether it is possible for someone in their teen years to grasp all these concepts. Shoot, I don’t know whether I do.
- But there are riches available–and they are more pleasurable with contentment.
- And fame is not everybody knowing your name, but rather, in having your name bring something of integrity to those who know it.
- Power is something we possess, not somewhere we are.
- Beauty changes with time, but as long as it’s radiating from within, it maintains a certain consistency.
- And I don’t know if there is anything sexier than someone who can carry on a good conversation, while inserting humor.
So there you go. That’s what I want to be when I grow up.
You can see why I decided not to be a Buddhist monk.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
Click for details on the SpirTed 2014 presentation
Please contact Jonathan’s agent, Jackie Barnett, at (615) 481-1474, for information about scheduling SpiriTed in 2014.
click to hear music from Spirited 2014
Like this:
Like Loading...
Jonathots Daily Blog 