"Living the dream, each and every day," said a man in the next isle over at the home improvement store. Hmm, I thought; living the dream. A popular phrase right now, everyone wants to live the dream. And why not? We certainly work hard enough for it, sacrifice for it; we will put almost anything on the line for the sake of the dream. Just what is this dream that every wants to live? Could be something we hope for, something ambitious and difficult to attain; perhaps it is nothing more than an idle hope that is unlikely ever to be realized, it could be something beautiful…a place or thing that we desire because it is beautiful. It could also be a person, a special someone that brings joy and hope.
What about my dream, I wondered? Do I have one, am I living my dream? Yes and yes. My dream begins with Don because that is where I begin, there can be no Betty without Don. Now I have the foundation for my dream and I can begin to build upon it. I want to express my feelings with words, I want to write and I do. I want to live in the country far away from the fumes and noise and the scary crime in the city, I do. I want peace and solitude and the luxury of knowing that we own the eight acres that our home sits on, we do. I want a home I can be proud of that is comfortable and safe, I have it. If I put these things all together I have my dream and I am living it, every single day. You can't ask for much more than that.
What about the other dreams? Peace on Earth, a fast economic recovery, jobs for the jobless, affordable healthcare for everyone the list goes on for a very long time. I think about those things daily, our service men and women, the wars we are fighting and every day I say a prayer for all the people I cannot help. I suppose that would be the ultimate dream, being able to fix those problems or at least give support where needed. Only the elected few have that kind of power, the ability to say that they are living that dream.
There is always hope.
