Dreams, A Reprise

Posted Mon May 17, 2004 in

One of my favorite songs is Waiting for Me by Joe Bonamassa. I used the lyrics for the song in an essay I wrote about dreams back in January. At the close of my essay, I said:

So, take the advice of an old man. Follow your dreams. If you’re young and just starting out, decide what you want to do and do that. It might take several tries; that does not matter, not one bit. If you are old, then encourage the young ones around you to follow their dreams. They will be happier and more productive, even if they are not successful by the standards of the world. I happen to believe that true happiness and joy comes from being fully invested in one’s life and living, and not in worldly success.

I believed this at the time I wrote it; I still believe it now. I think I’ll believe it tomorrow as well, and again whenever I think about it.

This wasn’t the first time I wrote about dreams. I think about such things a lot, and now and again I write about my thinking. Last year, in March, I wrote:

Sometimes I dream of riding my motorcycle and writing articles about my journeys, illustrated with my images. I’ve read Pirsig’s Zen of Motorcycle Maintenance (which is a marvelous book) and wish I could do something like that.

In some sense I’ve done that, though not for compensation. A collection of my motorcycling stories is in the archives of this web log and on my old static pages here.

That I would like to write came through in yesterday’s entry, where I ruminated about photography and writing, which are two of my main interests. (I think I could write a book about Pirsig’s book.)

Way back in October of 2002, I wrote:

The truth is, I am still trying to work out what I want to be when I grow up. I have a few years left before I think about retirement. Before then, I may very well effect a career change. I have a friend who, when disabled from his original career, took up photography as a second career. While I imagine that it can be difficult to make a career at it, the prospect is certainly attractive. In a few more years I may be able to support my family and myself without a huge income. I can certainly see working as an independent agent when I get there.

I haven’t written only about my dreams. In October of 2001, I wrote about my friends 100 Love Sonnets (then Meltdown Morning for awhile, now HiFi Collective):

100 Love Sonnets is the outgrowth of Scott’s and Amy’s dream of a rock and roll project. I remember listening to some of the writing early in the development of the project. (They asked me for my opinion—go figure!) Their original music is thoughtful, but definitely rock and roll.

So, for over two years I’ve been revisiting the dreams topic. Sometimes I’ve written about my own dreams, and sometimes about the dreams of others. I think it’s a human characteristic to have dreams. They give us something to hope for and a target to aim for. They are simultaneously nebulous and refined. They can be difficult, or even impossible. But, each of us owns them—they are ours.

It’s been a long time, but I’ve begun to have dreams again. No, not the somnambulant workings of my subconscious, but the wakeful thoughts about what might be. I am developing a target for where I want to be, sometime, in the not too distant future. It’s up to God whether I reach those dreams. He gives them to me, so I know there is a plan. Regardless, I’m just glad to have them back again. They are part of me. They may be different, but dreams are part of all of us.

  1. God permitting, follow the dreams of your heart!

    — S-i-L    17 May 2004, 14:42    #