I can’t think of one person who didn’t, as a child, dream of the life they would live as an adult. We all fantasized and dreamed of having a life that could only be imagined. We allowed our influences in life: our family, our television, our friends, etc. to help paint a picture of what we define as the ideal.
The ideal. The ideal is nothing more than a concept that we create and emulate. If it is of our own creation, shouldn’t it be feasible that we can modify the ideal as we go along? The simple answer is yes, yes until you find yourself a bit short of ideal. I’ve found myself “short of ideal” a few times in my life. I had these dreams of becoming someone that any and everyone would admire. As I get older I become acutely aware of the fact that the clock is ticking and this is the only life that I will ever live. A wonderful concept if you are living your life at or beyond your expectations. I have been taught that my life belongs to God but the direction of my life is completely a choice that I make. Who amongst us have not remarked, “I am a good person, why isn’t my life better?” I have. I have gone so far as to judge people who don’t appear to have the same morals and values that I have but seem to be living a better life. With anger I scoff at the rich and famous, who obsess over the unimportant and celebrate the very worst in us. The materialistic and misogynistic themes of the rich and famous sicken me... Sicken me so much, I can’t look away.
So here are the lame and insignificant ramblings of someone who has yet to try and who is afraid to fail. Born with no silver spoon, my ideal was to be like those who were so fortunate. I allowed money to be my obsession and repeatedly asked, “why not me?”
Now I get it.
There has to be more to life than money or even success for that matter. There has to be a reality larger and more significant than what we have or do not have. Maturity can be defined as accepting that the ideal exists in the mind and hearts of the person who is willing to dream beyond their circumstances. Having a dream of something better is very different than defining “better” with the materialistic things of this world. Regardless of our beliefs of the afterlife one thing is for certain, nothing we have will go with us. Is it worth spending my life wanting what I don’t have only to ignore the things I do have? Better cars, better houses, better clothes don’t equal a better life. A better life exists in the love I have for God, my family and the love I have for me. I’m no cynic. I don’t believe for a moment that all of the rich are unhappy or unfulfilled. I believe that many people of means have found the happy medium that exists somewhere between having things and coveting things.
I’m learning to appreciate every moment. I’m learning to make my ideal and my life the same, or at the very least, similar. I’m learning that the power I give my regrets and failures are given freely. Where I want to be is a state of mind. I can choose to love my surroundings and embrace the life that I am living. Life is teaching me that shooting for the stars doesn’t mean that you have to lose your footing. It’s possible to have your head in the clouds while simultaneously having your feet planted firmly on the ground. That’s where I want to be. I want to constantly seek opportunities to be great while reveling in the moment, because at this point in my life, to just enough people… I’m pretty awesome. What a great place to be!
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