Phillies reliever Ben Lively predicted his baseball future in the fifth grade

Ben Lively knew what he wanted to be when he grew up, and now he's doing it.

What did you want to be when you were 10 years old? An astronaut? A firefighter? An astronaut-firefighter? Michael Jordan? Most kids' dreams of what they'll do once they're old enough and tall enough to have a job are, to put it bluntly, unrealistic and silly—a parade of careers that are chosen mostly for the fun they seem to represent more than anything else. Living in outer space! Driving a fire truck! Driving a fire spaceship! Cursing at Kwame Brown! These are all things that kids find appealing, and it makes sense that they would latch onto those jobs because they don't know what reality will actually force you into.

Ben Lively probably heard that, too, when he was in fifth grade and was asked to write down what he wanted to be when he grew up. He didn't hesitate, jotting down in the kind of sloppy cursive that 10-year-olds bust out for the homework assignments what his dream was: to be a baseball player. "But Ben," (probably) said his fifth-grade teacher, "that's a very hard job to get." "I don't care," (probably) said Ben in the pivotal scene of the made-for-TV movie about his life and here played by an adorable tow-headed child. "I know I can do it."

Well, congrats, 10-year-old Ben; 25-year-old Ben got your back.

This picture has been stuck in my head my whole baseball career, and has kept me pushing myself. But today that wish becomes true!@Phillies pic.twitter.com/Blv1fUjHrp

— Ben Lively (@BenLively19) April 19, 2017

Lively tweeted that out on Wednesday, the day he was called up from Triple A to join the Phillies' bullpen and became a major leaguer for the first time. Lively didn't get into Wednesday's game against the Mets, and he'll only be up for a short while, as he's a roster replacement for veteran reliever Pat Neshek, who is on paternity leave; there's a chance he may not even get onto the mound. But for a few days at least, he'll get to live the dream he envisioned 15 or so years ago. It may not be walking on the moon or dunking on Patrick Ewing, but I'm sure he'll take it anyway.