When I Grow Up

Doctor, astronaut, teacher, chef.

Dreams and hopes we once had

When we thought our cardboard box could fly to space

Or the cookies we baked were the yummiest things on the planet.

 Why did we ever let go of these dreams?

Who told us first--that's not possible, don't even try

Because here's what I want to say to those people:

We can try, we will try, and we will succeed no matter what.

It doesn't matter if we don't save lives

If we don’t explore Mars or teach or cook fancy food.

What I learned from these dreams, above all else,

Is that it's okay to dream.

It's okay to learn and grow and say,

"That's what I want to be when I grow up!"

Because one day, when we're all grown up, we'll look back

And we'll laugh, and we'll smile and remember

The good old days, when our futures were limitless

When it was okay to dream and life could only go up.