Van Halen and Aerosmith Sang About Them

First Happy Easter!! Wait, if you don’t celebrate Easter, Happy Sunday. Also, for all you pranksters, you had your day today. What a momentous day for so many groups. This is what they mean when they talk about inclusion for all groups. Michelle and I were out early this morning at the barn and passed a couple of sunrise services. After that, we had some real estate work to handle and saw some cute little Easter outfits, people grabbing some great family time at McDonald’s, really, oh well that is your prerogative, and others were running to and fro like it was a normal day. Everyone was living their dream for the day. Or, were they living it for someone else?

Oh, the dreams of man and how they drive us crazy. In a quote attributed to Sigmund Freud, he stated, “Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy.” There are times that this must have been most of the people I have known throughout my years. You may have been one of those people, or heck, you may have made fun of the person who had the crazy dream. It has been a quandary of mine for many years; why do we belittle, make fun of, or cheer against those that have these outlandish dreams? Is it really that important that the person with the dream stay grounded to equal where we are? Dreams may be big, small, personal, group-oriented, outlandish, or even mundane. The cool thing about each dream and person they are attached to is that they are that individual’s dream. No one else’s. If you have never had a dream, I feel bad for you. It can be as simple as dreaming about a simple day off, enjoying a sunrise or sunset at your favorite beach with your favorite person, having a day where you can do whatever it is that tickles your fancy, or being able to go to a show that has been something you wanted to see. For others, the dreams are bigger, crazier, more outlandish, and even a bit larger than life. You know, like shooting your Tesla into space, creating a watch that answers phone calls, building businesses that are leaders in their industry, or achieving something that is so personal and far out that even friends and family think you may need professional help. These latter dreams and those like it are the ones that I battle within my own mind. There are so many things that excite me. Pictures dance through my head, how it looks are concrete in my mind, but the dream is just that, a dream. There is no plan, follow through, or idea of the first step so the dream remains a dream and never becomes a goal.

I love seeing people chase the dreams. I am a sucker for the motivational story of the person who has achieved what they set their mind to and the story they tell. I know the possibility is there. They are attainable. I understand that chasing the dream causes pain, that you may lose friends, you may have to separate yourself from family that you love, you may have to leave behind things you think you like, and you may have to start it alone. All of that is understandable; I get it and feel it inside. Then, I put it on the back burner because the truth of the current status overwhelms the dream and it falls into the crevices. It simmers, steams, and occasionally visits from time to time. Maya Mendoza stated, “No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams.” My life is awesome, but I get the gist of the quote. I have chased many of the dreams that I have had. Many failed because of a lack of talent, some were accomplished, and others, once the journey started, were realized that it really wasn’t a dream I wanted to “burn the boats over.” Maybe, that is part of the problem. I have been so fortunate through my 45 years. I have gotten to do so many things, seen so many cool places, competed at an elevated level in a couple of arenas, and watched others that I am close to chase dreams they have desired. That problem is; I know that if you put the work in, the time, and the dedication you can go after it and see where it takes you. Dreams can come true and they can knock you flat on your face. Damn, it is a great ride though.

Currently, my dreams are a bit more simplistic. For the past many years, we have allowed our daughter to shape her dream(s) and let her see where they may take her. The personal itch of the persistent dream is beginning to rear its head again deep inside my emotions. For someone with dreams that have been put on the bench, they don’t go away. We can work around them, push them off, and even tell ourselves that they weren’t that important. Here’s the issue: if they keep popping up in your thoughts they must mean something, and they will haunt you until it is achieved or at least tried and failed. Yes, my dreams are now getting to that point. Today is the first day of the second quarter of the year. The first quarter was awesome, opened some eyes, and showed what was possible. As Cole Trickle said in Days of Thunder, “Harry, I’m dropping the hammer.” Harry told him no and he did it anyway. Sometimes you must go with your gut and hope that the tires can handle your pressure.

Enjoy your week, re-introduce yourself to your dreams, and let’s go. The best that happens is you reach it and the worst that happens is you try again.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash
Photo by Kelli Stirrett on Unsplash