Dreams

There are a wide variety of wants that people have for their lives today: material possessions, personal experiences, and even intangible things such as friendship and love. At the simple contemplation of the previous statement, one could infer that those “wants” could be considered “dreams.” After being asked recently what my personal dreams in life are, I hesitated. To this point in my life, I have, to a certain extent, “lived in the moment.” I have gone with the flow all my life. As I think more and more on my life concept, I realize that maybe this is not how I want to live. Instead of going with the flow, I want to strive to go against the flow. Be original. Be myself. In effort to go against the flow, I have decided to follow up on the question that I was earlier asked: “What are your life dreams and goals?”

At first, I immediately thought about the typical answers to that question: graduate from college, get a good job, start a family, etc. As I thought about it for about another day, I almost became sick to my stomach. I had given the question at hand possibly the worst answer I have ever given to any question in my life. Well, yeah, I want to do all that— who doesn’t? I want to do so much more than that, though. I want to do things that not only please me but things that please others, as well. So, not like anything I have ever written before, I have made a list of dreams I have; a list containing things I want to fulfill before I die:

1) Spend the rest of my life carrying out my passion: music. Whether it be professional or just a hobby, I want to keep music near the top of my life ambitions. There is nothing better than sitting down and listening to music after a stressful day. While listening to music is enough to ease life’s stress, playing and making music is even more inspiring. I cannot describe the feeling of peace I get when I get lost in music, whether it be listening or playing.

2) Travel. I contribute this dream to my parents. Looking back on the countless family vacations since I was a child seems to be my inspiration for travel. I want to visit all fifty states in America. I want to visit many countries. If it was possible, I would absolutely love to visit every country in the world. The first place I would go in the world is Italy. The food is amazing, the people are hospitable and friendly, and the countryside is beautiful. Other places I dream to go are: Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, Greece, and England.

3) Start a charity. One thing I love to do more than anything else is to help people. I adore being called the “sweet” guy. There are so many people or groups that are in dire need of help. There are also many opportunities to help people. By starting a charity, I could know that these people or groups were taken care of. I hope that when I get older I can find the perfect chance to start a charity.

4) Accomplish physically difficult feats. I want to climb Mount Everest. I read a book about the physical tolls that climbing the tallest mountain in the world takes on your body. I want to complete a triathalon. I want to discover unfound shipwrecks in the deepest oceans. I want to ride every roller coaster in the world. I want to sail across the world with a friend. I want to fly a fighter jet, drive a fire truck, and own a jetpack.

One might say that this list is really short. What can I say? Bear with me. This “going against the flow” thing is all new to me. Like the rest of the world, I want these things- some material possessions, some personal experiences, and some intangible things. Making this list has and still is making me better realize that life is too short to continue to go with the flow. I now can say that I think I answered the question as best I could- at the present time. Maybe in the next few weeks or months of my life, I can better answer this question. Oh, and by the way, I would LOVE to thank my really great friend for asking me the question. You may have just changed my life.