Dahlonega, Georgia
established 1873
(where I spent a few months of my 18th year)
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I remember being asked that question by family members, and it was usually followed by - a nurse? a teacher?
At the time I thought - if those are the only two choices, I am not interested in growing up!
I went from high school to college, but it didn't take, college life had no appeal for me. So I am a statistic, a college dropout:
dropout n. - Someone who quits school before graduation; Someone who withdraws from a social group or environment.
A dropout is not a bad thing to be, sometimes you have to drop out of the flow, go in your own direction, do your own thing, whatever is right for you.
All of the things that I did turn out to be and do were not mapped out ahead of time, not part of a big plan, but I think everything turned out just fine!
I am still working on what to be when I grow up. Maybe my grandkids can give me some ideas...
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~e.e. cummings
Built on the foundation of the old Dahlonega Mint, which was destroyed by fire in 1878, Price Memorial Hall on the campus of North Georgia College and State University boasts a steeple plated in local Dahlonega gold.
Nearby Dahlonega, Georgia was the first Gold Rush in the nation. Dahlonega was a boom town in the Georgia Gold Rush and became the site of a United States Mint between 1838 and 1861.
Numerous gold mines were scattered around the area, a major reason the Cherokee people were forced to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears.
The city's name since 1833 comes from the Cherokee-language word "Talonige" or "Dalonige", meaning "yellow money" or "gold."
Dahlonega, Georgia on wikipedia
