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?
