When Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I have a dream”
speech back in 1963, he was talking about a big picture. Equality and justice.
A worthy dream. One we're still striving for. We all have dreams. Some big—world peace—and others small.
“A dream is a wish your heart makes.” Think about how true that song from the
Disney movie Cinderella is.
Realists scoff and tell us to stick to reality. That dreams
can lead to disappointment. But if we don’t have dreams how sad our lives would
be. At the beginning of each year when we write out our goals, aren’t we
talking about our dreams?
When I was a kid, I daydreamed . . . a lot. My imagination
knew no bounds. I dreamed about having a glamorous job (a translator at the
United Nations) a husband and children. Personal dreams. I did find a husband
(or he found me) and not only do I have children but grandchildren, too. I never dreamed that I would be an
author.
Some dreams don't come to fruition (I never made it to the
UN). I dreamed of international travel. While technically going to Mexico and
Canada could be defined as international travel, I dreamed of traveling farther
afield. That doesn’t mean dreams have no value. Without dreams, our lives would
be so mundane, even depressing. We would have nothing to reach for.
We can dream of world peace, equality, justice. Will those dreams come true? You never know.
What dreams did you have? Did they come true?
World peace, equality, and justice are such BIG dreams that no one person can make come true. The whole world would have to do that and I'm not sure if we will.
ReplyDeleteI dreamed of being a published author and I did everything I could to make that dream come true. :)
Congrats, Chrys, on making your dream come true!
DeleteEnjoyed your post. Dreaming is part of the creative process whether they come true or not. I always wanted to see the world we live in; and to date, I've traveled extensively, lived overseas, and still enjoy visiting new places.
ReplyDeleteJudy Ann, it's wonderful that you're making your dream come true.
DeleteMy biggest dreams are for my children's happiness. We have yet to see how that plays out. I do love to travel, but I'm pretty much content to just sit with my laptop and write. I guess my dream now is to retire from my day job and have more time to dedicate to my writing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us today, Diane!
ReplyDeleteGood point about our children. I hope you get the chance to retire and write full-time.
DeleteI daydreamed a lot too, Diane...although more as a young girl. The older I got, the more my daydreaming turned into premonitions of disaster. It's no wonder I write suspense. :-) When King delivered that speech, he put action behind his words. Although we haven't yet achieved racial harmony, I think with each generation, we're getting closer.
DeleteWe have to put action behind our dreams, too. It's not too late to travel farther and wider than North America! :-)
I need to put some thought into my present-day dreams and see what plans I need to make.
Leah, you are so right about needing actions to make dreams a reality.
DeleteBeing a hopeless dreamer, I really enjoyed this post. Thanks for sharing these thoughts.
ReplyDeleteA hopeless dreamer? I used to think my dreams were impossible. As Leah said, we need to put action behind our dreams.
DeleteWhen I daydream now, it's more about story ideas and characters than "what I want to be when I grow up" kind of thing. Fun, but since I write dark and horror, a little scary, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, Madeline. I've sort of changed my daydreaming, too. In a way, I'm glad I don't write horror. I'd have nightmares. :)
DeleteI dreamed for a long time about being a published author, but life was so busy I only had time to write once a YEAR--on my birthday. My gift to myself. LOL Then I decided that if my dream was ever going to come true, I had to change my priorities. Now I write almost every DAY and have two published books. Yes, dreams do come true, but often they don't just happen. One has to work hard for them. Thanks for the thought provoking post!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you MADE your dream come true, Marissa.
DeleteFrom the time I could articulate it, my greatest dream was to be a wife and mother and those are my biggest accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteI am now a widow and grandmother but still dream of being a wife again someday....
Love the post!
I agree, Pam, about being a wife and mother. Our children are our greatest accomplishments.
DeleteWonderful post. My dream was always to be a published author (and to marry Elvis Presley, but we see how THAT turned out). I can't imagine not having dreams and actually striving to reach them. People who do not dream will never know the joy of reaching their dreams. (Funny, I am planning a very similar post to this one. I promise, I'm not copying! :))
ReplyDelete1 out of 2 dreams isn't bad. About a similar post--brilliant minds . . .
DeleteI did not actually dream of being a published author--for I knew from an early age that I AM a writer. Still, being published is a dream-come-true. Thanks for a thoughtful post!
ReplyDeleteGlad your dream did come true, Susan.
Delete