Dreams
When I was in High School, I had dreams. Dreams of being a big writer, dreams of being a movie director, dreams of being a Chef, and dreams of being a big ole computer nerd.
Now, I find myself down the road, still in the town that I grew up in.
I was able to find a job that has given me a lot of experience.. In a field I like.
Now, things haven’t gone like I thought they would. I don’t have the 2 2/5’s kids, I am not in some big city making movies, or making food/chocolates/pastries.
Part of me wonders, did I take the road most travelled? Should I have gone abroad, stuck a flag on a backpack and hike the world? Should I have been a poor college student? Gone to live in some dorms?
I don’t know. Part of me thinks, I’m right where I need to be. The other side .. well, I don’t know.
When do you decide that dreams are just that.
Dreams.
I’m actually going through sort of the same thing right now. A crisis of identity, if you will. I’m starting to think that these crises of identity are just another part of life. For me it’s a way of checking to make sure I’m happy in what I’m doing. But they sure do get annoying…
There are several different paths to the same destination in my opinion Chris. From what I know about you, you are where you are at because you chose to be (and you probably put a lot of thought into these choices). Sure, maybe you didn’t take the long way around, but you have achieved your dream of being a computer nerd =) and you seem to be happier than a lot of people I know with your career… and most importantly you have good relationships with your family and friends. I’d hate to see you live with regrets or unanswered questions though, so I’d suggest that if you are still feeling doubtful or confused or unsure after a couple of weeks, then take a mini road trip with the flag in the backpack and do some soul searching; take time for self reflection. You’ll probably find that you want to stay in the life you have… but maybe toss in a few new dreams as well that you can achieve within this lifestyle. If not, than it’s better to find out sooner rather than later.
Okay, sorry Chris. I think the therapist in me came out a bit on this comment. =)
Maybe it’s all the responsibility beating me down? 🙂
Hee..hee…I would say that you have achieved most of all your goals to a certain degree. You might not be a full chef or movie director ect, but you know each of those skills, and have improved on each of them. Especially computer nerd!!!!!!!!
We had a big discussion about this a week or so ago via my sister’s blog and comments. (I would link, but she would disown me.) It stemmed from nearing her 27th birthday…a bit of “a mid-to-late twenties crisis” (her words)…and anyway, the consensus was that you don’t ever have to let dreams become just dreams. If right now you are saying “I always wanted to be a doctor/chef/movie director”, well, 10 years are going to go by, and you can either still be saying “I always wanted to be a doctor/chef/director” OR you can actually BE the doc/chef/director (or the director working on a film about doctors who can cook).
The time is going to pass either way.
It’s what you’re going to do with it that will make the difference. Me, I’m going to get going on
As one who is a little bit further down the road, I would say, don’t give up easily on those dreams. However, you may find that they aren’t really what you want either. I think there has been good advise given here. Take some time, get away, and think about what you really want. Don’t wait until you get in your 50’s to realize that you should have pushed and you didn’t. Regrets aren’t fun to live with if they are truly regrets for something that you should have tried.
Well, I try to get the creative bug out 😉
I do a job that challenges me, and I got good friends and hobbies.
Isn’t “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”?
I honestly can’t say how I came across your page…. i know this is completly random too. I just became struck dead in my tracks reading “dreams” That seems to be excactly what I’ve been thinking, just someone else expressed it for me. It made me think that sometimes happiness has to be where you are in order to find it somewhere else.