Do you remember when at an early age, you decided what you were going to be like when you grew up?

I remember some of the neighborhood kids wanted to be firefighters, others wanted to be pro athletes, and others just plain didn’t have a clue.

I wanted to be a pro wrestler because of the Mexican wrestler, Tito Montes. Then I wanted to be a “Jackson 5” because of Tito Jackson. Just when I had figured it out, I wanted to be a timbalista just like Tito Puente.

Well, I’ve grown up (or let’s say I have gotten older). I didn’t even come close to one of the many options I had selected, and maybe most of our dreams never materialized the way we wished.

Perhaps we would have had a chance if opportunities were made available to learn the proper skill or lifestyle. When I was a kid, there were no music lessons and I wasn’t blessed with a Jackson 5 voice. There were no wrestling programs to teach the art of a takedown; the only wrestling I got was from my three older brothers.

Now in the new era in which we live, our children have better choices and opportunities. Perhaps today, with the facilities available and some training/schooling, my grandson might fulfill his dream of being a rock star.

My 8-year-old grandson and I had a conversation about that while riding home from school.

I was intrigued as I watched this second-grader walk out of his classroom sporting some cool sunglasses. Now when I was a kid, you didn’t wear sunglasses, especially fancy ones with logos on it. My first pair of sunglasses had a logo all right. They read “KCC” and they were thick and heavy. These, what I thought were cool glasses, were safety glasses my father got as a laborer at the copper mines.

We headed home when Nono asked me if I knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. Still trying to collect my thoughts from the sunglasses scene, I said “No, but if you share with me, then I can get ready for it.”

“When I grow up,” he said, adjusting his sunglasses, “I want to be a rock star.”

“Why a rock star?” I asked.

Nono’s response was direct and confident. “Because I want the girls to chase me!” Que que, where did you see this or know that girls chase rock stars, I probed. I should have known better!

Nono, with a smile that sports two missing teeth in front, was very assured of his future plan to conquer the world as a rock star. “Papa,” he explained, “this will be crazy, having thousands of girls chasing me. They will come to my concerts as I play guitar.”

Play guitar? Are you going to sing also, I asked. “Some, but my friend will do most of it.” What friend, I thought — perhaps his imaginary friend. Nono always tells me to be careful not to sit or step on his dog, this being his imaginary dog!

“Hey Papa, all I need is a big place to put all the people” was his closing statement to our “I want to be a rock star” conversation.

“All I need is a big place” are the words that keep ringing in my head. I’m wondering if Federal Way might be one of his future venues for displaying his skills? It could happened if an auditorium or theater will be in place by then, so that it may be filled with his future followers.

Why couldn’t this become a reality? It is time for Federal Way to become a dominant force in providing facilities that one day may be the dream maker of our children. Federal Way is in the driver’s seat of community growth, due in part because of an orchestra of leaders and organizations that believe in the future of our city.

Wouldn’t it be beautiful if we could all harmonize our thoughts and indifferences, then convert them to a song of unity? In the past decade we have seen a positive growth in Federal Way as the city becomes populated with a choir of multi-cultural voices and sounds. A city where the average resident’s age is 35 years, with 60 percent between ages 5 and 44. We are represented in our school system by more than 80 different languages and a community where the average annual income is around $62,000.

Let’s visualize for a moment how it might look if Federal Way were to orchestrate a sound of peace, harmony and jubilee.

Let me introduce you to “the band.” In the horns section, on trumpets, we have a great fire department that is very much involved with our community. On the saxophones, we have one of the best police departments in the state. On the tuba, we have the unique sounds of the emergency response agencies, and clarinets/flutes are the ambulance services. In the percussion section, we have the city council on drums. On the congas and timbales, we have the diverse community groups, and on the tambourines, we have the local churches.

Now the lead guitars: City government and the school district. On bass guitar, the Federal Way Chamber of Commerce. And last, but not least, the lead singers: City mayor, school district superintendent, chief of police, fire chief and local faith-based leaders. And the leader of the band: The people of Federal Way.

“All I need is a big place”, are the words that keep ringing in my head. I’m wondering if Federal Way might be one of his future venues. Time will tell, but in the meantime, the beat goes on.