DREAMS. What’s the purpose of our dreams? I’m not referring to the kind that we experience when we’re asleep and try to remember in the morning. Those I could try to analyze over and over again — I’m not sure I’ve really come to any conclusions about what they may subconsciously be trying to tell me, nor have I been able to remember many of them. Instead, I’m talking about the ones that keep us up at night wondering about all the things we want to do and experience in this life.
The blunt question is: why aren’t we doing them now? I think often fear kicks in and we feel overwhelmed by our dreams — we become logical and rational (whichever side of the brain that is) and talk ourselves out of how crazy it might actually be if we decided to redirect the course of our lives and / or begin again. The thought of taking a different path on one hand sounds dreamy and hopefully fulfilling, but then fear shouts, what if we do it and feel we threw everything else away or it’s not as good as we thought it might be? I also think there are there other factors, such as time, space, money or not feeling it’s the right season in life yet to pursue a passion, purchase or career.
But I think subtly these dreams show us the kind of life we actually want to live and who we want to be. It might feel so far from where we are now, yet that in itself is a sign. How we can use those dreams to guide us to the life we deeply want? We don’t have to bury them or say “one day” — despite that thought, I’m not one to talk as I still do that with my dream of writing a book. With a long-term dream however, I think there are steps we can take in the present: trust we will know when it is time to start working towards something, shift our mindset to believing those dreams are possible to pursue, and / or take a small action that can contribute to the dream overtime. I hope the repetition and practice of writing will lead me to starting the book that I still don’t know will be about. It also feels overwhelming: where to start, how we could possibly go from where we are now to doing something else…I think that’s where we have to trust the part of ourselves that will figure out how to pursue those dreams step by step.
Dreams can change though — just as we change. What we once wanted and dreamed of may no longer be what we actually desire and that’s okay. Or maybe you reached the dream and are not as fulfilled by it as you thought you might be. I think our dreams are bound to evolve over the course of our lives — the kind of career I thought I wanted coming out of college has started to shift just a few years later.
A few dreams that the younger versions of me have been able to live out: playing Division I college basketball, living in Manhattan and running the Boston Marathon. But I have others and sometimes they feel sacred; dreams don’t have to be something that we share with others. They are ours to hold — we can quietly let them be in their pursuit and restless hope.
I find it hopeful being a dreamer — that there is something more to reach for, knowing that we’re allowed to reach for it, to want it. I also don’t believe that negates how we can still be present to the lives we are currently living and appreciate where we are. But we kind of owe it to ourselves to chase after those dreams or else we’ll always wonder.
Book Recommendation:
While more reflective and contemplative, I really respect and appreciate the work of Brianna Wiest — she has a series of works that offer modern takes and an approach to living an intentional and purposeful life. 101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think is comprised of shorter writings and thoughts that encourage us to pause and think. Some of her words are simple and I appreciate that – “I hope you ask yourself: ‘What do I want now’?”