Dreams

There is an earlier post about being fully alive - being awake to all that life is, whether grand and glorious, small and simple, or arduous and challenging. I think an important ingredient is dreams; it's so important to dream, which is the human/worldly plane version of the spiritual virtue of hope. A dream is a reminder that we are meant for more than ordinary things.

Even better than having one is when you chase the dream, and it comes true right in your hands. This has become a theme in my life, and you know how these things work: once you notice a particular thing, it seems to be everywhere. I hear of people leaving the city rat race to live simple lives in the country. I know several families who are following their dreams into circumstances that don't make any logical sense, and yet are finding contentment in untold measure. I have my own story of dreaming and having it come true: I left job security and predictability behind and am going back to school. The exciting thing is that the story isn't over yet...I have no idea where it's going to take me.

Dreams come with their share of hard work and challenges, but they have the best side effect: you will not dwindle when following yours. You will be awake to other joys offered by life, you will be interested in further adventures, and eager to explore other opportunities: living a dream removes fear from the equation. The dream doesn't have to be big or profound, mind. I'm not even going to give examples, because then you will compare yours to them and rank them. Don't do that! Don't judge your dream! Listen to yourself: what is it that you are dreaming deep in your heart? Maybe now is the time to do something about it.