Beyond the Byline: ‘Dream in a pragmatic way’

When we were kids, we never actually thought about what we were going to be when we grew up.

Oh, don’t get me wrong — we did have dreams. Heck, every kid has a dream.

Back in my day, the kids in my neighborhood and schools were no exception. Some actually dreamed of becoming a doctor or a lawyer or a fireman or a cop.

But my pals and I, well our dreams were of sports — of being at bat in the bottom of the ninth in the seventh game of the World Series.

That was one of my dreams.

You see, my one and only dream was that I was going to be the next Mickey Mantle — my childhood hero — to be the centerfielder for my beloved New York Yankees.

And I was on track to do that — well, until I turned 13.

I was 6 feet tall by the time I was 11 years old and because of my size, I dominated the Plymouth Little League, hitting — by Little League standards, mind you — tape-measure home runs of Ruthian legend.

For two years, I wreaked havoc, hitting homers, striking out batter after batter and not allowing many hits.

My dream was right on track.

At least that’s the way I remember it.

We get that way as we travel through life. Our memories tend to go on auto-embellishment and, over time, we actually do play centerfield for the Yankees, and we see ourselves in Cooperstown, awaiting our enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

My secondary dream saw me as a basketball Hall of Famer. Because I was tall, I could score at will. I averaged, oh I think, 81 points a game or something like that. Anyway, I was a budding star and, at 6 feet tall by my 11th birthday, surely I would grow at least another foot or so.

UCLA here I come, although I may have chosen Michigan State or Indiana because I liked the Big 10. I was an avid reader of the Chip Hilton books by Clair Francis Bee. Chip played for State. I could, too, I dreamed.

Back in the day, the Wilkes-Barre Barons of the Old Eastern Basketball League played at the Kingston Armory. I played for the Junior Barons. We were good — we never lost.

So, I really believed I would one day wear the Bruins’ powder blue and gold and jump center in the NCAA Tournament.

Needless to say, it never happened. I stopped growing vertically and continued to expand horizontally. I went from a dominating center on those Junior Barons’ teams to a marginal point guard who reached some level of stardom in the Kingston Rec Center’s “Goons at Noon” daily pick-up game.

So let’s return to 2024. Susan Magnotta, president at Junior Achievement of NEPA, says JA Inspire is at the heart of Junior Achievement’s mission to expose students to hands-on, interactive learning experiences that encourage them to think about their futures and become better prepared for the real world.

Magnotta said JA Inspire this year will include a “Dream Job” section, where students will be able to talk one-on-one with professionals, including surgeons, athletes, news anchors, authors, politicians and more. It will also include a legal careers room.

“We are excited to expand this year and look forward to touching the lives of a whole new group of young people,” Magnotta said.

JA Inspire will take place Tuesday, April 16, and Wednesday, April 17, at the Mohegan Pennsylvania Convention Center. The 2024 JA Inspire Career Exploration Experience is presented by Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services & DiscoverNEPA.

This is the second year Junior Achievement of NEPA is hosting this one-of-a-kind career exploration event. Magnotta said JA Inspire engages high school students in hands-on, interactive exhibits with local companies, exposing them to career opportunities, creating connections and inspiring them toward a pathway for future success.

Future success can make many dreams come true. A good-paying job can result in a wonderful life, with family, home, car, community involvement. The students attending JA Inspire will have the chance to talk to people who are working in their “dream jobs” and to learn what is out there that may interest them.

Back in my day, our inspiration came from baseball cards, newspaper headlines and the Game of the Week. Or from Chip Hilton, a fictional hero.

I have had the opportunity to walk onto Yankees Stadium and feel the hallowed ground under my feet. I stared out at centerfield and envisioned myself tracking down a fly ball out near the monuments that once stood in the old ballpark.

I even met Mickey Mantle after he had retired.

And yes, those dreams come back to me every year when I watch a Yankees game or the NCAA tournament.

Sometimes dreaming can soothe the pain of not playing for the Yankees.

But where would any of us be without dreams?

As Harry Chapin sang:

“You say you should have been a ballerina, babe

There are songs I should have sung

But I guess our dreams have come and gone

You’re ‘sposed to dream when you are young.”

But as Aldous Huxley once advised, “Dream in a pragmatic way.”

Dream on.