Ambitions

Elizabeth I is one of my biggest heroes. She was a woman with ambition. A woman with a plan. She knew exactly what she wanted and she got it--all the time. Whether it was a man, a throne, a victory in war, whatever. She had the power. And she did it all on her own. She was England's female king, and she had a long rule that turned out to be one of the most peaceful, prosperous lengths of time that England ever experienced. She refused to marry because she would never allow herself to play second fiddle. She was beautiful, witty, talented, intelligent, driven, and convicted in her beliefs. If she were alive today she would probably be the CEO of a major international corporation. Because she was just that good. I could gush about her forever, but the real reason I bring her up is because I have been thinking a lot lately about what I want to accomplish in my life and what is keeping me from doing it. I have a lot of ambitions--too many, I sometimes think, because so far, in my short twenty-five years on this planet, I have not really accomplished a respectable number of items on this list. I have, however, built up an illustrious number of hours in front of the tv, watching Netflixed re-runs of Law and Order: SVU. I think the main thing that keeps me from trying to follow through on the many things I want to do is this pervading sense that I have to choose one thing and one thing only to focus my life around. After all, I have a career to build. But it would be nice if I could devote myself entirely to crossing things off what I guess is the closest thing I have to a Bucket List. So I am going to share ten of my ambitions here, and ask you what your ambitions are. What do you want to accomplish before you die? And more importantly, why?

1. Breed Horses
-This has always been one of my dearest ambitions. I used to always daydream about breeding beautiful warmbloods and owning my own riding stable where I would teach people, young and old, the joys of a relationship with horses.
2. Work as a rape crisis counselor
-I think this might be one of the most challenging and rewarding things I could do. So many women are hurt everyday and don't even realize that it isn't there fault, or that they have recourse, or that they can prevent it from happening in the future. So many women don't have the strength to really believe that no means NO, and I so want to be one of the people that gives them that power.
3. Start a philanthropic organization
-What would I do if I won the lottery? Well, after buying my horse farm and traveling all over the world, my third fantasy is to set up a philanthropy that will help campaign for responsible dog breeding, mandatory spay and neuter laws, harsher punishments for animal abusers, and most importantly, a rehabilitation center for rejects from kill shelters. I think that every domesticated dog deserves a comfortable, loving home. A huge part of this is owner education, and I want to be a part of rescuing animals nobody else wants, and helping to educate the people who might want them.
4. Save the polar bears/rehabilitate wildlife
-This is similar to my ambition to rescue all the dogs. Polar Bears have a really special place in my heart. When I see natural disaster footage, it isn't the poignant pictures of children and the inspirational video of people rebuilding their community that gets me all teary-eyed. It is the footage of the animals struggling to regain equilibrium in their already disrupted environment. It is the birds coated in oil, the marine life caught in nets and garbage, the starving predators that can't find prey because of urban sprawl. These are the things that tug my heartstrings. So I plan to do what I can to help at least one species come back from the brink.
5. Own a combination bookstore/coffee shop/bakery
-I love books, I love cupcakes, I love coffee. Plus I love influencing what people read/eat/drink. This is pretty straightforward.
6. Participate in a historical reenactment
-Possibly my nerdiest desire. But I want to put on a hoop skirt and go act out events from hundreds of years ago. Maybe I will be a Civil War nurse. Or one of Jack the Ripper's victims. Or a scandalous duchess. Or a witch in Salem. Any of those would be totally awesome. Maybe I can be all of them before I die.
7. Train and utilize a therapy dog
-As many of you know, I own a corgi named Marty McFly. He is a cuddly, adorable, loving bundle of goodness that warms the hearts of every person he encounters. I hope to, with the help of my soon-to-be-husband, train him up and get him certified as a therapy dog so we can go to the library and participate in the Reading With Dogs program.
8. Teach underprivileged kids to read and write/educate underprivileged girls about sex and female issues
-So many people are failed by their public education system. There is an astonishing number of people who reach adulthood and are functionally illiterate. I want to be a part of stopping this. Additionally, I think that it is vital that sexual education is not danced around and that girls know how to grow up knowing about their bodies and what they do so that they can be responsible, mature, safe women.
9. Make an illuminated manuscript
-Can you imagine the illuminated Harry Potter? Totally awesome. This is pretty much a dead art, but I watched a video about it in one of my art history classes during undergrad, and there are groups who still make I.M.s as a hobby. I aspire to be one of those people.
10. Convince one pro-lifer that it really is the woman's choice
-Just one person. All it takes is one. I didn't mean to end on such a controversial note, but I truly and wholeheartedly believe that only a woman can decide what is right for her, in her life, and that nobody has the right to legislate morality or make a woman feel dirty, wrong, or sinful for doing what she believes is right. If I can make only one person see that being pro-choice doesn't mean being anti-life, I will feel that I have accomplished something huge.

So there you have it. The things I want to accomplish in the next fifty years or so. So tell me, what ambitions do we have in common? What do you want to do? How will you go about doing it? This is the real, fascinating stuff, people.