Grandiose Ideas
Aug 22nd, 2008 by Jen
Grandiose
Pronunciation: \ˈgran-dē-ˌōs, ˌgran-dē-ˈ\
Function: adjective
Etymology: French, from Italian grandioso, from grande great, from Latin grandis
Date: 1838
1 : characterized by affectation of grandeur or splendor or by absurd exaggeration
2 : impressive because of uncommon largeness, scope, effect, or grandeur
grandiose. (2008). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved August 22, 2008, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grandiose
I have been told many times in my life that I have “grand” or “grandiose” ideas. A lot of who I am is inherited from my dad, the king of grand ideas, who has accomplished and failed at more things than I could ever dream of doing. Over the course of his life he held down a full-time job at the local cement plant while running four different businesses. Serving our country in Vietnam he traveled the world, flew planes, and escaped death. His workshop was filled with tools that he created, and the works turned out of that garage shop were well-designed and beautiful. He is an entrepreneur, an inventor, a teacher, and a hero. Some of the same sprit lives inside of me.
When I was eight, I wanted to be an astronaut. At 12 it was a professional basketball player. High school got me thinking that I wanted to be a psychologist. All grand ideas, but none ever transpired. I taught myself to knit, graduated college with a Computer Science degree, and gave birth to a 10+ pound child naturally. Again, all grand ideas, but this time each were realized. I tend to start projects I will never finish and I always bite off more than I can chew. I am constantly thinking, inventing things in my head and and trying to solve problems. More grand ideas.
Although every post I write will not be the most impressive or thoughtful post in a world of blogs, I need a creative outlet for my thoughts. Blogging has interested me for some time and I admire those who are able to express themselves daily in written word. I hope to join them by sharing the ideas in my head, some grandiose, some not, from time to time.
I remember the pressure of being a kid. Adults would ask us what we wanted “to be” in life. They would say, “Young man, what do you want to be when you grow up?”. Now, that I’m an adult, I’ve found that you never settle on any one path in life. Each day your path bends slightly to the left or right. As a kid I would say, “I want to be a fireman.” It was an image of something that could represent my life. These days I say things like, “I want to convince people not to drive their cars all the time.” I don’t need to think on what I “will be” so much as what “I have done” One day I’ll reach the end of my life and look back on what “I was” and smile.
Interesting post. Keep up the great work.