Oh, teenagers!

So I am in California this week assisting Brian as a chaperone for six students that are participating in a national DECA competition. If I had any idea what "DECA" stands for I would tell you, but I really don't know. I know that it has to do with business-type things. Anyhoo, we are in Anaheim and today was a free day, our only free day of the trip. We left it up to the three girls and three boys to decide what they would like to do with their free day. As you may or may not know, Anaheim is home to Disney Land. In fact, if I look out of my hotel room window, I can see portions of the park when it's not so smoggy. There are beaches, pro sports teams, and a wealth of other things to do. Did I mention M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u-s-e?
These teenagers decided that they wanted to see famous people. They wanted to go to Hollywood, the walk of fame, Grouman's Chinese theatre, Rodeo Drive, the Sunset Strip and the Santa Monica Pier.
Hello? Teenager? Donald, Goofy, the whole gang? No? OKay, how about Universal Studios? Knott's Berry Farm? Nope. Hollywood. So we went. We saw street performers, crazy people who were clearly taking hallucinagenic drugs, people wearing protective Swine Flu masks (which I was totally jealous of) and lots of fancy cars. No famous people.
I was not surprised by the choice that they made to go to Hollywood. I have to admit, even though I have seen it before, it was very exciting to see the big sign again on the side of the mountain. In a society where we talk about celebrities by their first names, as if we actually know them, where we watch shows like TMZ and buy People magagine so we can see who the most beautiful people in the "world" are, where the emphasis is on what you have and don't have, we miss out on Mickey Mouse and spend the day trying not to get pick-pocketed in hopes that someone famous will stroll by. As I listened to them talk about the cars, houses, clothes, weight, music, status, lifestyle, I realized just how happy I am. I have everything that I need and most things that I want. At one point in my life, I was going to be famous. I was going to Nashville and I was going to be "found", however, my parents decided that I was not going to Nashville so I had to make other plans. I sang in 368 weddings, 2 graduations, a funeral, a bar or two, and I was sure that being "found" was going to make me happy. I still think about that sometimes and how nice it would be. Not for the fame, but a little for the money. Mostly just because I miss singing.
I don't miss being in high school and being torn between being an adult and still wanted to be taken care of. These kids are all seniors and are about to be faced with serious decisions regarding their futures. And I got to tell you that, based on the Hollywood choice, I'm a little nervous for them. I mean, seriously. It's Mickey Mouse! Can you tell that I really wanted to go to Disney Land?