Way back when I was eight and a regular contributor of short stories, bad poetry and letters to dear old aunt Dolly's page in the SF Chronicle, among other things, I dreamed of being the girl reporter who circled the world. It was reinforced by the time our small town high school initiated a journalism class, and I eventually became editor. 

My dream lasted through junior college and crashed when I transferred to UC Berkeley. I spent so much time making junior editor on the Daily Cal that my grades took a nose dive; I had to quit the paper or Cal would drop me. When I graduated in 1940, the job market was still trying to recover from the Great Depression, and I ended up as a lowly clerk in a personnel office. However,my interest in communication continued, in my climb up the ladder in that profession, including co editor of a career guide for women in health sciences.

Two other dreams, painting and acting, remained as hobbies, but on retirement I seriously returned to writing. I had a few personal essays published and renewed my Chronicle ties (but ..not on long gone Aunt Dolly) with a blog for the past two years. The latter with my earthshaking opinions, memories of San Francisco and life in general  has been a great ego booster with a modest fan club. In a way it's a return to journalism, only this time it's not the girl reporter but Jean the columnist, sort of. Alas the short stories remain unpublished still, the novel and a moralized memoir are still works in progress along with other unfinished short fiction. 

I did realize the hobbies, sold some paintings before taking on amateur acting in the fabulous 70's for small theater. They then were relegated back to hobbies; more time for writing drew me back to that dream. Even some of my blogs will be part of the two works still in progress. However, if they are ever published, at my present age of 91 it may be posthumously. 

I can only hope that I will finally grow up enough to finish them for that lovely day. In the meantime the blog will have to do, but I can still dream on.