Living with Dreams in Reality

When we think of "dreamers," we usually think of someone who has their head in the clouds and their mind in an idealized future that will never come to pass. Anne of Green Gables is a classic example. The problem with the people who fit this description is that they never get anywhere in reality, because they are too busy focusing on an idea that may or may not ever be. They cannot focus on the "here and now."

However, there is a difference between being a dreamer and occasionally dreaming. To have dreams is a good thing, especially for those who are the opposite of dreamers - those too grounded in the present to think about future possibilities - people like me.

Dreaming can be frightening, because it is a form of hope. When you dream, you imagine a future that you wish could be - that you hope will be; and whenever you hope, you open yourself to having that hope be crushed at some point or another. So some people give up on dreams entirely. It's easier that way; but just because it's easier does not mean it's better. In fact, it is frequently to the contrary. Alfred Lord Tennyson once said, "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." This idea can be applied to dreams as well. It is better to allow yourself to dream, on the (perhaps) off-chance that it may come true someday, than to shut yourself off to the idea entirely.

At the same time, it is good to introduce some elements of reality into dreams. To make dreams realistic may sound like an oxymoron, but it is not. There are some dreams that simply will never occur under any truly possible circumstances. To use an extreme example, you can dream all you want that you will be able to fly without wings someday, but it will never come true. That is an impossibility. Thus, dreams should always be tempered with reality. Yet the converse is also true, reality should be tempered with dreams. Live in the present (though not reckless of the future), but allow yourself to hope for something in the future. Don't depend upon it. Don't rest your life on it, but allow it to be a part of your life. Certainly, there is a risk, but I'm starting to think that it's a risk worth taking.