Driving through town at night, watching the lights splash against the water on the road would fascinate me as a child. I would get lost in the idea that one day, spotlights would dance off of my skin just like the city lights reflecting off the concrete in this small town. I would look up at the stars, pretending I could see constellations, whether or not they were really there. Reality didn't matter.
How many times do I drive myself home by those same city lights and never notice them? I am so concerned with what's ahead, whether I am driving home to see family or driving to school for a night with friends. I never notice the lights. Is it that I have outgrown my dreams, or I just never pay attention to them anymore? Why do I feel like it is a waste of my time to dream about the spotlight rather than a family and a white-picket fence? When did dreams about the future become universalized?
Anymore, when someone asks you what you plan to do with your life, they expect an answer that somehow involves an office job, a dog, 2.5 smiling kids, and some sort of detailed 10 year plan? Whatever happened to following your dreams? Is it so hard to believe in the spotlight as your future?
My mind has been racing past my dreams and in to my future, a typical situation for someone my age to be involved in. What we never stop to think about is why we separate our dreams and our life plans. Why did we ever separate the two to begin with?
I remember children's book encouraging you to follow your dreams, with pictures of astronauts and firemen. In today's society, why do we even make children believe they have options? Why do we make them believe you can chase your dreams instead of chasing money? That's not the American way...
