Hopes and Dreams

Ahh, hopes and dreams. Everybody has them. Some discover them quickly, and some slowly. But how many of those dreams do you actually achieve? How many of those things that you hope to get do you actually get? If your answer is not many, then you are probably one of the millions of people who roam this earth. I wonder, how much work do we have to do to achieve our dreams, and how much of it is pure luck? As far as pure luck goes, most people leave it up to that. I think taking some big risks is a good thing if they get you closer to the person you want to be. The passion to achieve your dreams has to be there for you to be able to take those risks in the beginning, however. The inspiration and the dream are the beginning, but if there's no motivation, then all you have is a dream, not a success story. When you have that motivation, that drive; anything is possible. Luck and inspiration can only get you so far--the rest is all you, baby.

Some people let go of their dreams and settle for an average life. Personally, I hope I never do that. But I suppose happiness is the ultimate goal, so if you're happy living in the boonies, and having a normal , everyday lifestyle, go for it. As for me, I've always wanted something more exciting out of life. When I was little, I wanted to be an actress. The whole nine yards--a big time Hollywood movie star. The possibility of being able to transform into tons of different people that were so unlike me every time a camera was rolling was intoxicating. I wanted to be that little orphan girl, that woman living in a pent house, Cinderella, Peter Pan. I loved playing dress up. There are pictures of me draped in strands upon strands of beads, little ballgowns and feathered hats. Halloween is like sacred ground in my family. Every year my uncle comes in on the train from Boston, we hang the strands of pumpkin-shaped lights around the windows and finally head out into the night to get mounds of candy, later dumped and sorted into categories on the living room floor. Picking a costume has always been hard for me. But whatever I choose, I always go all out. Except last year when I thought I wasn't going to go trick-or-treating and wound up being a vampire at the last minute.

Hopes and reams start in all sorts of places. Just hearing a song or watching a movie can make all the difference in a person's life. Anything can make someone look up and say, "I want to do that!" Even if it's a little girl wishing she was Sleeping Beauty, or a boy wishing he was Indiana Jones. The strangest, tiniest things can completely change the course of some one's life. You just have to have faith that all things happen for a reason. Even not achieving your biggest hopes and dreams.

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