when i grow up

do you remember the question?

when i was a little kid i would get asked the question
"andy, what would you like to be when you grow up?"

i heard all these stories,
and continue to,
of kids answering that question with:

firefighter
astronaut
professional (insert sport of choice here) player
police
teacher
doctor
etc...

none of these ever came to my mind

i thought of things like being a
dinosaur
(to be the biggest and baddest)
i don't remember wanting to be a superhero
(although my brother caleb thought he was condorman)
i remember wanting to be luke skywalker or han solo
(if only to have a lightsaber and kiss the girl)
or wanting to be a ghostbuster
(if only to be funny as i trapped otherworldly evil)
or indiana jones
(well, because, who didn't want to be indy?)

i guess i never wanted to be a profession
or a professional
i wanted to be a character
i saw characters in stories and wanted to be
those characters

what i'm seeing as i write this is:

i wanted to be something that didn't exist anymore
that fought bad guys
with weapons never seen
and mastered only by the experienced
all the while being funny and silly
getting the girl
and confidently, charmingly, innovatively
finding my way out of trouble
and travelling the world
looking for lost treasure

or the pearl of great price
in a story written by a mysterious hand
of a hidden kingdom

i'm glad i wanted to be a character