Dreams

"If you lead your life the right way ... the dreams will come to you." -Randy Pausch

When we were children our parents read us stories about magical kingdoms in far away places, and they always ended with "happily ever after." As we grew we learned that those stories were just pretend, that they had nothing to do with the "real" world. We found ourselves facing the struggles of life with gritted teeth, sometimes enjoying but mostly enduring each day, and we recognized that the concept of "happily ever after" was simply a childish dream.

But sometimes the more "practical" and "realistic" we become, the more empty we feel. Maybe life was meant to be more. Maybe, just maybe, all the other stories we heard growing up were lies and the fairy tales were real. Maybe "happily ever after" wasn't such a childish dream after all.

Lies permeate our culture and our own minds, keeping us from reaching our full potential. Lies like, "You'll never make it as an actor (or artist, or writer, or gourmet chef, or armadillo wrestler). When are you going to give up the dream and get a real job?" And so we quit. We conform. We accept mediocrity as the best we can achieve. Our spirits are trying to fly, but we're so afraid of getting hurt that we won't let them.

The worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves: "I'm not good enough. I can't do it. I'll never make it. I'm afraid of public speaking (or writing or acting or singing in front of others or speaking up in a business meeting or taking a risk). I should be satisfied with what I have. It's time to wake up and face reality."

The REALITY is that the human spirit is wonderfully insatiable, and when we feel dissatisfied it is often because we were meant for more. How can we know our limits if we never try to reach them?

We are by nature eternal seekers of joy, for ourselves and those around us. Fairy tales call it happily ever after. I call it life, and it is meant to be lived. Happily, if we choose. Ever after, if we believe.