Prodigy

Chris was just one of those kids. When he was little, he was good at everything. He always got As in school. He learned how to play the piano extremely well in just a year. He could have made the NHL – that's how good he was at hockey. He was also really nice.

Everyone always told him that he could be whatever he wanted. All he ever heard was “You should be an engineer. You should be a scientist. You should be a doctor. You should be an astronaut. You should be a professional pianist. You should be.....”

No one ever asked him what he wanted to be. When he was little, he just wanted to play with his friends, but he had to practice his piano or go to hockey Those two things took up so much time and eventually he stopped trying. It got so bad, that his mom said to him one day, “If you score three goals in your game toady, I'll buy you a Nintendo.”

She didn't think he'd do it, because he had been playing so badly. Chris really wanted a Nintendo, so in the first period of the game he scored three goals easily. He didn't score anymore during the game, but they won and he got his Nintendo!

By the time he was in high school, he was very confused about what he wanted to do and even though he was talented (a prodigy, most people said) in everything he did, he was depressed. Since no one had ever asked him what he wanted to be, he had no idea. At this point, he hated hockey and piano and he really hated school.

He started hanging out with people who were often in trouble and he began to smoke. His parents were beside themselves. They had no idea what was going on and they told him that if he didn't smarten up, he would be a failure.

This pushed him further away from his family and when it came time to apply to universities, he simply didn't. He graduated with honours and went straight into a mechanics program. His parents told him how disappointed everyone was with him. He was told that his teachers and coaches had had dreams for him. Now his life was ruined.

Still Chris chugged along. He decided that he still loved music, so he started a super heavy metal band. They toured for a few years, not making any money. He was at a crossroads. He couldn't take living in the same province as his parents, so he packed up everything he owned and moved across the country.

While there, he met a woman. They got married and had a son. Unfortunately, this had also been a mistake and they soon divorced. All the while, Chris worked as a landscaper and really liked it.

Now, he is in his thirties with a new woman in his life. He still has no idea what he wants to be when he grows up, but for the first time in his life, he can honestly say he's happy. He smiles as he looks at his son.

Never will he tell him what he should be. He doesn't care what he wants to be, as long as he's happy. When he thinks back to his childhood, all he can remember is the stress and pressure of being a “prodigy.” He had never told anyone how he felt about growing up, but he was finally coming to terms with it. Maybe someday, he'd even figure out what he wants to be when he grows up!