Oh, sister...

When I was a teenager - and even into my early twenties - all the other girls at school and the church youth group, etc, wanted to meet the man of their dreams, get married and have kids. Sure, some of them also wanted to become doctors or rocket scientists in the middle of all that, but their main life-goals involved marriage and children.

Me? I wanted to be a nun.

No, I'm not kidding, although most people assume I am when I mention this. And it had nothing to do with the Sound of Music or Sister Act (although I firmly believe that my life is a musical, so please excuse me while I burst into song...)

I honestly found the idea of a life devoted to study, contemplation and prayer - augmented by some works of mercy and perhaps the growing of vegetables - highly appealing. I sort of pictured myself travelling the world in my youth, then settling down to be a Carmelite.

There was a time when the only reason I didn't take more definite steps in that direction was the fact that I wasn't Catholic and, being thoroughly entrenched in the Pentecostal way of doing business, had no intention of pretending I was (thus we have one of the great ironies of my life - I was too devoutly religious to become a nun). If, at the time, I had been told of a religious order that didn't consider Catholicism to be an entry requirement, I might be in a completely different place right now.

There are probably a few people out there having "Aha!" moments as an aspect of my character falls into place. Yes, that's right, ladies and gentlemen - I'm the girl who wanted to be a nun who grew up to become a librarian.

I wish I had some sweeping romantic story for why I never became a nun, but I don't. Sure, when I went to university I met one or two young men I found somewhat "distracting"... But nothing that you might call a "Captain von Trapp situation" ever developed.

I didn't end up becoming a nun because I just didn't. Mind you, there's still time - although these days I'm probably more likely to become a Vicar or Rector (yep, still not Catholic - although leaning heavily towards Anglican).

I think the main reason why I didn't become a nun was the fact that I wasn't interested in settling down to be anything, really. I liked the idea of endless possibilities stretched out before me like a field of wild-flowers in the wide open plains of existence.

I still do, really. I love the job I have at the moment, but I don't intend to stay here for long. Catch me in five years time and I might be selling pretzels from a cart in Berlin, for all I know.

Heck, for all I know, I may yet end up doing the marriage and children thing. That would make my mother happy. It just doesn't seem all that likely at present due to the fact that a)I spent my youth wanting to be a nun, so I didn't exactly pick up any skills in the boy-meets-girl department, b)I can't find nobody as crazy as me, and c)I'm not really looking. But who knows where the wind may blow?

I do know one thing for sure: I will probably burst into song. Maybe even a spontaneous dance routine. If I do, just join in - it's easier that way.