It’s kind of funny that when we were kids, we couldn’t wait to grow up. When we were 8, we couldn’t wait to be 10, then we couldn’t wait to be 16, 18, 21. We were never satisfied with where we are. Everyone told us (but none of us listened) that we shouldn’t want to grow up too fast, yet they always asked us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Here I am, 44 years old, and I’m still struggling to figure out what I want to do “when I grow up.” Honestly, other than going to as many New Kids On The Block concerts as possible, I have no idea what I want to do in the next 10 years! (Mostly because I have no idea what the world is gonna be like in the next 10 years.) So maybe instead of trying to figure out what I want to do in the next 10 years, we can talk about what I would like the world to be in the next 10 years.

In the next 10 years, I would want to see our military honored and paid more than a professional athlete. One puts their life on the line for our safety, and one just for entertainment. (But I do love me some Dallas Cowboys lol) I would like to see better health insurance for everyone. I learned on a trip years ago that in some countries, health insurance is paid when you pay your taxes. This includes prescriptions. Why can’t we do that, especially for our veterans?

But what I’d really love to see in the next 10 years is adjustments. Adjustments in the way we view people, disabled or non disabled alike. Adjusting our mindset to understand that different people, different cultures, and different religions don’t mean someone is less valued or important, it means they are different (and not robots). I’d like to see a shift of misunderstandings of disabilities to a shift of education and being open to being educated. People admitting that they don’t know or understand the difficulties that the disabled community struggles with. And while we are adjusting our views and mindsets, maybe we can make a major adjustment to respect everyone’s voices and choices, including people like me! I’d love to see the government adjust its current ideals of Direct Support Staff to one that is more conclusive, valued, and respected all the time… not just when COVID or a tragedy hits.

If and when this ever happens, then maybe I’ll truly know what I want to do with my life in the next 10 years. But for now, all I can say is I want tomorrow’s world to be better than today’s. I want the next decade to be better than the last, and if I can find any way to take the step to help that adjustment get started, then… I know where I’ll be in the next 10 years!