Do You Still Have Dreams?

When we were kids we all had dreams. At various times I wanted to be a fire fighter, auto racer, cowboy, an explorer, mountain climber, astronaut, and after watching a few episodes of The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau, an oceanographer.

As I got older my dreams changed.

Some people went to college to chase a dream. Some found out whatever they were studying didn’t really interest them, and either found an alternative, or dropped out. Others pursued their dreams without college. Everyone had their own path to chase their dreams.

One guy I knew in college wanted to go into space. He really wanted to be an astronaut. He actively researched everything he needed to do to become one. He devoted years to this pursuit, getting himself into shape, and studying chemistry. He joined the navy after college to have the navy pay for a master’s degree and to get into flight school. His research told him that becoming a pilot in the navy was his most direct path into space. Well, that didn’t work out so well. After receiving his master’s degree, the navy wouldn’t let him into flight school, instead they assigned him to a submarine. Needless to say he was disappointed. I’m not sure whatever happened to him. Did he stop dreaming of space, or did he find something else he wanted to do.

Others wanted to become writers, artists, musicians, doctors, nurses, teachers, and business people. Some went to college because it was expected. They had no idea what they wanted.

My big dream was to become a filmmaker, so I went to film school. I continue to follow that dream, but it isn’t a dream anymore. It is what I do, and have done for decades.

I am now 70, and a couple weeks ago I started asking myself, Do I still have dreams? Are there things I still want to pursue?

I wonder if we hit a point in our lives when we stop dreaming? Do we get so busy just living that we forget about our dreams? Do you think our dreams wait for us, or do they scold us for not following through?

We all want a nice life, and good things for our kids, family members, and friends. Are those dreams?

I checked in with Dictionary.com to define dreams, and this is what I got.

Dream

a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.

the sleeping state in which this occurs.
an object seen in a dream.
an involuntary vision occurring to a person when awake.
a vision voluntarily indulged in while awake; Daydream ; reverie.
an aspiration; goal; aim.
A trip to Europe is his dream.
a wild or vain fancy.
something of an unreal beauty, charm, or excellence.

Number 5 is what I think about when I use the word dream. I think of dreams more as aspirations, than travel goals.

I think the question I’m asking myself is, is there still something I want to do? Something I want to achieve?

Am I attaching to much significance to that word?

I feel like dreams are bigger than just travel plans. Although if you are traveling to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago, or traveling to Africa to study wildlife, those are definitely dreams.

I can list off a lot of places I wish to travel to and experience. I have a pile of things, books and films, I want to continue working on and finish. Are those dreams?

Maybe as we age, our dreams get smaller, more manageable. We become more pragmatic, perhaps? Hopefully we still have dreams.

Personally I think it’s important to have reasons to strive towards a goal, and it doesn’t matter what that goal is, large or small. It’s still a dream/goal that you continue to chase.

I don’t wish to think of a life without dreams. I’m working on things I wish to do next.