“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.”
- T.E. Lawrence

So for some reason lately I am on this "Quote of the Day" kick. And today is just a continuation. Not only am I getting most of them from emails, but I find things people say are also influencing my interest.

Last week, I was given the opportunity to go to the Gig Harbor High School Class of 2010's graduation ceremonies. While yes I am an alumnus of the Gig, those who were freshmen when I was a senior have already taken their walk with Pomp and Circumstance. This class is one of the last ones I will still feel comfortable going to. I still have at least two more!



Anyways, to get to some semblence of a point, I must say that the class speakers this year were truly incredible. Taking risks and chances I have seen few others take. By far one of my favorite ever was that of Kenny Alfred just a year before my own graduation. He stood largely confident in front of his peers and recited his interpretation of a speech given by the President of the United States in the movie Independence Day. Obviously, hilarity ensued, but he did get his point across: To get out into the world. Because we can and we should.
During my graduation ceremonies we heard speakers tell a story of a young man building a trampoline and the fights and obstacles he had to endure. Upon a first encounter of the speech, one would think that there was really nothing in it that would relate to a high school graduation. However, upon a deeper interpretation, you could say that our clsas speakers were preparing us for the world we are now facing today. We are running into many obstacles: no job, little money, debt, etc. We have no idea what to do with our lives. Or maybe that is just me.
However, on this graduation day, I found myself being inspired to reach out. One particular speaker spoke of a different way of being, one thing I have truly been grappling with as of late. He said, in no uncertain terms, that what if our dreams are wrong. We are raised to dream and believe that we will go to college, graduate, meet our husbands or wives, have a huge house with a lot of money and nice cars, raise children and they will go on to do the same things. But what if those dreams are not fulfilling.


While it is a scary undertaking, that which makes uus happy, may not be the high paying job we are all supposed to get. I for one cannot see myself sitting at a desk for the rest of my life. My life cannot and should not solely be about making money to survive. It is just like in the toughest workout of the year in cross country. We are not meant to survive. Life is not about survuving, going through the motions to get to the next day or the next interval. Life is supposed to be about living. Thriving.
In questioning whether these dreams are the right ones, the speaker went on to say that it is ok, to find other things which make you happy. Living a life in which you are helping others. Living a life in which you get to smile everyday. Obviously money makes things less stressful and more comfortable, but does it truly make us happy?

This is our time. We must go out into the world and face these obstacles. We must face them head on, because life is going to be full of obstacles. And one of the greatest of these is going to be finding our own dreams. And as the quote at the top of the page says, taking those dreams and living them. Putting them into action. Making them a reality.