Dreams Deferred

When does a deferred dream become a dream denied?  When do we finally give up yearning for something because we have "gotten real?"  At what point are we too old, too poor, too ailing to  strive for something we dreamed of when we were young?  At a certain age we can see more clearly that our position on our life's path is a sum of all the choices we have made, all of the forks in the road we have taken, as well as those left untrodden. For everything we chose, something else was lost.  Is it just part of maturing or does it erode just a little of our psyche to give up what we once dreamed?

 

Maybe it depends on just how badly we want this thing, and what we are willing to do or to sacrifice in order to achieve the end.  I once dreamed of going into outer space, but obviously not enough to take the necessary steps to become an astronaut.  I dreamed of learning to speak Russian, but was swayed into taking geology instead. I am not sorry, because geology has been a lifelong interest, but wouldn't it be nice to.........(insert your own longing here.)

 

For almost as long as I can remember, I have wanted to live in France, if only for a short while. I never, ever gave up thinking about it.  I have moved heaven and earth to make it happen while I still have all my faculties and wits about me, so that I can enjoy it. I have made some sacrifices that many people would consider rash--retiring early, with a significant loss of income being the most obvious.  I just couldn't wait any longer.  When I tell people of my plans, their reactions range from incredulity to a wistful longing. It's almost as if "society" dangles the concept of following a dream in front of people, never really expecting them to bring said dreams to fruition.  Life's challenges beat people down.  Reversals of fortune, ill-timed circumstances, unexpected detours all conspire to force us to put our dreams on the shelf, where they get pushed farther and farther back into the closet of what might have been.

 

I say, let's pull that closet door off its hinges, give it a good cleaning and look in the clear light at what we've put on that shelf.  Some things probably need to be tossed out, but let's not give up on all our dreams.  They keep us alive, vibrant, and interested in living. Maybe there still is time to learn Russian.