This week, the Today Show is hosting reunions of casts from past TV shows. Tuesday’s reunion? The Partridge Family! Watching David Cassidy (Keith), Danny Bonaduce (Danny), Brian Forster (Chris #2) and Suzanne Crough (Tracy) laugh at Matt Lauer’s request to sing Come On Get Happy reminds me of a childhood dream. I wanted to be Tracy Partridge! Yes, it could be me sitting with my TV brothers forty years later awkwardly explaining to Matt that I was an excellent lip-syncher but I never actually sang on all those Partridge records with David Cassidy. It could be meeeee!
I was cute enough. Imagine what I would have looked like with the tambourine? Why Suzanne Crough? Why not
me? Well, for starters, I wasn’t even old enough to fill the role when Suzanne Crough was cast. I didn’t live in California. My mother knew nothing about show business. But try telling that to four year old me. That’s how old I was when my parents took me to my first concert, to see David Cassidy. And even though they told me the rest of the Partridge Family would not be on stage, just “Keith” on his own, I refused to believe it until I actually saw Keith onstage with a bunch of unrecognizable old people musicians. And even then, I felt certain Keith would find me in the throng of thousands. Our eyes would meet and he would want me to come on stage and be his Tracy with a tambourine.
But… it never happened. I missed my chance to become a famous Tambourine Girl. Dang! Life’s not fair. It wasn’t fair when, years later, I missed my second chance at fame by becoming part of the cast of The New Mickey Mouse Club. My mother sent in an application. I was so sure they were going to call and want me to audition, but no call ever came. Instead, they cast Molly Ringwald and she went on to star in all those great teen films of the 80s that would have been 
the perfect vehicle for me. I did look pretty in pink! Life’s not fair.
But by the time I was a teenager, I enjoyed watching Molly in all those roles that could have been were never meant to be mine. I didn’t follow my heart to Hollywood and audition or keep trying. I left the show biz dream behind and started pursuing something else I really loved, my other dream, writing. Oh, it took a little while. I’ve always written. I started with short story paragraphs at the end of spelling tests (second grade) and moved on to book reports, longer stories for my own pleasure, and then finally my first full length novel. It took years of practice, research, trial and error, and persistence, and finally, by the time I was thirty, I published my
first novel, and then there were more. There are better writers, more talented authors, who perhaps haven’t had as much success (and some who have had far more). And sometimes, it feels good to whine about milestones I have yet to reach, or to snark about people who have, but the bottom line is that life’s not fair. I won’t get anywhere by not trying at all, and I might not get anywhere by trying my hardest (yes, I have some manuscripts that were thoroughly rejected and never had a chance). But it feels better to try. And it feels much better to put my energy into writing rather than into dreaming about what could have been or bitching about people who have had more success. I still take some time to whine. It’s therapeutic. But I know when to stop and move on.
Life isn’t fair. You have to put your heart into what you want and try your best, and even then, there are no guarantees. But you have no regrets if you know you didn’t give up or let your negativity drag you down or kill your chances. Some dreams are meant to be dreams, but you have to take the right actions to take something from dreams to reality. And then you have to be able to accept what you can’t change and appreciate what you do have. Suzanne Crough, the Partridge Family’s Tracy? She’s now a manager at Office Max. It probably wasn’t her childhood dream, but she looked pretty happy on the Today Show. What makes you happy? What did you want to be when you grew up? Are you secretly, or not so secretly, pursuing a dream?
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I get happy when people smile. I work very hard to make people smile. When people tell me this (in emails), or when I see them smile, I get happy. That’s all. Also, I should say that my kids make me smile on a daily basis, and DH, whose sense of humor is not so simplistic also makes me smile.
As for what I wanted to be when I grew up? I wanted to be rich. When I was in my 20s, I wanted to marry Bill Gates (to own my own software company). I have forgiven Melinda and frankly, being a romance novelist is not chump change in the accomplishments department.
Marry Bill Gates, hmm. That would mean sleeping with Bill Gates. Regularly. Were you up for that, too? Actually, it would be fun to write a nerdy hero. I loved Alan Cumming in Romy and Michelle’s HS Reunion movie.
I wanted to be a cowgirl and wanted to be Blue Cannon’s girlfriend or Manolito Montoya’s girlfriend, both characters on The High Chaparral, a TV show from the late sixties. I wanted to ride horses, shoot Indians and still be a girly girl.
Today, I’m pursuing my dream of someday being able to retire.
That’s my husband’s dream, that I make some big bucks so he can retire. LOL. It’s not working out so well for him.
One of my history professors in college had been a regular on Wagon Train. He also played Gidget’s husband Jeff in Gidget Gets Married. (Michael Burns). I forgot that until just now.
I loved the Gidget! I had a huge crush on Moon Doggie, LOL! Made me want to try surfing. I did. Once. ‘Nuff said.
I wanted to be the damsel in distress on Alias Smith and Jones. But that part went to a cuter, thinner, perkier girl.
Cuter? Thinner? Perkier? Can it be? I think they made a huge mistake.
ROFL. Yes, there is NO ONE perkier than Julia “I Love Cheerleading” London
Don’t make me pull out the picture from Julia’s Cowboy Cheerleader days. Well, her birthday is coming up. It usually comes out right about then. Funny how that works.
Very cute pictures…and great post. If I had a penny for every time I said Life wasn’t fair I’d be outta debt and driving a nice car
As I kid I wanted to be big bird, now I’m happy just being cookie monster or the grouch! 
Perhaps that’s why I’m attracted to tall men? I actually have wanted to be a writer since I was 9 – I’ve wrote many stories during that time, and then I got married and didn’t write until I divorced, and then it became an obsession. Now I write every day and it makes me happy, I’m still persuing the dream. I agree with Jacquie…I’d rather have a no drama life. Happiness for me is a good bottle of wine, my novel, and my dogs, oh and throw in some family and friends! 
Was your best friend a snuffleupagus? Did people believe you if you said so? Those are the big questions. But your current idea of happiness sounds good to me.
I wanted to be Laurie. Really really badly! As was evidenced by the fact that I was immediately disappointed that she wasn’t at the reunion which is silly since I wasn’t even up to see it
Sherri, as always very thoughtful post. I do think it’s so easy to “whine” about our failures (or perceived failures) instead of applauding and celebrating everyday success. And you do look pretty in pink!
I’ve been singing the back-up for I Think I Love You for two days now. Maybe I’m still bitter.
Hey that was my very first album and my husband guilted me into tossing it. Talk about bitter….
My first album was the Osmond brothers first album. I liked David Cassidy, but I LOVED Donny Osmond. The Partridge Family was “must see tv” for me before that saying was ever a saying.
I saw a bit of this on the Today Show, and felt somewhat intrigued that Tracy was now managing an Office Max and Keith was touring in casinos. I don’t think there’s many people that can ride a flame their entire life, nor do I believe in my heart that we’re supposed to. And that’s my story, and it keeps the bitters away.
David Cassidy seems to be doing okay with it, but Danny Bonaduce has been riding that flame far too long. I loved Chris– he looks a lot like Will Forte on SNL. I would love a Partridge reunion as an SNL sketch, actually.
Great blog, Sherri–and wonderful pics of you! What makes me happy? Lots of stuff, most of it really simple. Spending time with my family. Snuggling on the sofa with my husband. Cooking a meal together. And peace–I like peace and quiet. Harmony. No drama. Like sitting on the beach and watching the waves, or walking hand in hand along the shore. Simple stuff. As for what I wanted to be when I grew up–it ranged from archeologist to detective (I wanted to be Nancy Drew). Never thought of being a writer until I was an adult, although it was something I always liked to do. My secret dream is to participate in a one of those mini triathalons–the ones with the 1/4 mile swim, the 2 mile run, and the 5 mile bike ride. Don’t know if I’ll ever do it, but I can dream!
Hey, if Julia London can run a 10K… which remains to be seen. CAN she? A few more weeks and we’ll know.
(Of course she can!). I do love watching the waves at the beach. It always makes me feel that anything is possible.
For what it’s worth, I think you would’ve been a rocking tambourine girl. My dream has always been acting. I chickened out of pursuing it as a career, but I’m trying to make up for past mistakes by enjoying it as much as I can now. But I absolutely agree with you that life’s not fair and all you can do is take your lumps and push on until you hit your gravy days.
Maybe Hollywood will see your work with the Sunshine Boy and come running. Or, go running. It could really go either way with that.