As children, they ask us

"What will you be when you grow up?"

We say astronaut,

president,

musician,

actor,

celebrity.

They smile and tell us

that we can do whatever we desire

We dream, we wander, we wait.

As we get older, we become proactive.

We read,

study,

sing,

act,

dance.

In preparation for what's to come.

Our dreams won't come true without passion.

Right?

Soon enough, we become adults.

They ask us the same question

in a new form.

"What are you going to do with your life?"

We say astronaut,

president,

musician,

actor, 

celebrity.

They say

"That's not very realistic. Why don't you choose something else?"

We pause, we stammer, we think.

What did our dreams become silly?

When did everyone stop believing?

We pause and look around.

Our peers seem different.

The astronaut is now a stock broker.

The president is an accountant.

The musician is a nurse.

The actor is a teacher.

The celebrity is a lawyer.

We take another look

and see that everyone around us

has fallen pray 

to others' views of 

realistic expectations.