When a person imagines what lies ahead of them in their lives, no one ever imagines the troubles they may encounter. It is our dream, as humans, to be rich and famous, and live our lives so that everyone else will want what we have. I’m sure that, as children, the homeless did not say, “One day, I want to live on the sidewalk of Third Street, and eat out of the garbage can there! I want to be able to sleep in the snow and rain, or blazing heat! And sleep there only under the protection of a cardboard box!” The dreams of children, how everyone see their future is usually more along the lines of, “I want to be a ballerina, or a pro basketball player.” But, these dreams quickly change with every thing the children read, or watch on television, but eventually they evolve into something more. “I want to be a doctor, so I can help sick people.” Or “I want to teach people, because I hope to better the world.” There’s not as much enthusiasm in these comments, but still there's the hope of creating a career out of these professions.
And I too had all these hopes and dreams far out of reach when I was a child. I wanted to be and ice skater and be world renown. That turned into becoming a doctor so I could find a cure for cancer. In time, that dream faded as well, and I decided that I wanted to be a writer. Nothing fancy, just someone who prints articles in order to allow the public to know what I was thinking. Writing turned into teaching, and teaching turned back into writing, and so on and so forth.
I am getting ready to enter my first year of official college. Sure, I’ve taken a course here, and another there, but this fall comes the real deal! Behind the excitement that I feel lies a sense of uncertainty. I’m not sure anymore what I want to do, or where I want my life to take me. I’m not sure where I’m going, or what to study in school. All I know is that I am about to be forced into making decisions that will forever change the way I see my life. I have realized that when push comes to shove, the dreams of my past were just that, dreams.
Now, I’m not saying that I can’t obtain any of these goals. I’m sure that if I were to have ever been ice skating when I was 10 that I could have been figure skating on the television just like I dreamed. But, where I lacked the practice, and even the knowledge of ice skating, that dream could never come true. This is the same with becoming a doctor, or a writer, or a teacher, or anything in the world. You must have that knowledge of your trade, and you must keep in practice of it.
As I set here now, my mind has shifted once more, only within the past few seconds. I can see it now: my name on top of an article in Time magazine or in the New York Times on Sunday morning. But this has not become a reality for me. I am aware of the fact that I only 18 and I’m only entering what will quickly become my life. I am also aware of the fact that I may not accomplish any of my dreams, but in the process of attempting to attain those dreams create yet another on to reach for. But for now, all there is for me to do now is wait to see what the world will offer me. Once I know that, then I will be able to make an accurate assumption of what may be held in my future.
No one ever really knows what is in store for them, and this is the case with me. But I am willing to wait and allow the world to show me what I can offer it. |
Submission Name: Our Dreams
