A DIFFERENT SUNDAY

2011
September
24

A few weeks ago, I left the kids with Eric and spent a Sunday afternoon with my sister and our dad. We went to a park and played on Dash’s favorite playground.

We talked about our dreams. Our aspirations.

Elaine will be going to college next year. The possibilities are numerous for her. I remember those days. Should I major in mathematics or architecture? Should I go to the local university or should I choose one farther from home? Should I even attend college AT ALL? I worried so much about making the right decisions, but now I see that it didn’t matter as much as I thought it would.

My dad, the dreamer, is an inspirational one. At over 50 and with more than 25 years of experience growing a company that he started in our garage, he still has plans for the future. He’s going to buy a sailboat.

I used to have dreams. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to design houses. But not just any houses. I wanted to design forts, castles, tree houses, secret passageways, and geodesic domes. I wanted to incorporate puzzles and riddles into my designs. Doors disguised behind bookshelves, hinged walls, impossible contraptions that, when solved, would reveal a hidden room.

I’ve had other dreams, too. There was a time when all I could think about was making movies. I could see the movie playing out in my mind during long road trips. I could hear the soundtrack. I could envision the movie posters! Yet, I was never dedicated enough to record more than a few notes on the screenplay in text files.

I’ve barely considered these dreams since having kids. It’s not that I don’t have time. Kids, especially young ones, don’t take up as much time as they say. They nap often, they play well by themselves, and they go to sleep early. So what happened to my dreams?

No Comments