Cherish your Dreams

Cherish your dreams, so you can one day look back at them and see how far you have come in life accomplishing them. Learn I talked to my mother this morning.  This is always an interesting experience for me.  She never really needs anything, but always seems to want to talk.  As a man, I enjoy talking, but I am not sure I understand the woman’s desire to get on the phone and have a conversation.  Sure, if there is something to say, call me and say it.  But for me, it is hard just pick up the phone, say, “Hi,” and see where the conversation goes.

To take that one step further, I normally don’t like talking on the phone much at all!  I mean, most things I need can be answered in a few simple questions or statements in a text message.  This make the need for an actual phone call unnecessary.  In the event that it needs something more than a few sentences, I would generally prefer to send or receive an email.  This also helps to keep a record of the conversation.

With all of that said, I know that mothers, as a general rule, do not subscribe to my ideas and therefore would rather hear their children’s voices on the phone.  So today I talked to her on the phone.  But today was not like a normal day.  Today, she actually had a subject to talk about . . . her next vacation with my father.

My parents are at that age where my mother wants to travel the world.  The problem is that my father is at that age where he doesn’t mind traveling a few times a year, but wants to be back within a few days in case something happens to his business.  Now, my dad no longer needs to work, and really, has enough money to last the rest of his life and into the next.  That is really not the issue.  I think the real issue is that he is a bit of a home-body who has been in Real Estate so long that he really doesn’t and wouldn’t know what else to do . . . Including relax.

Still, my mother plans several vacations a year that last around a week each, and my father reluctantly goes along with her.  She plans 6 or 8 weekend-get-aways that he also goes on.  These don’t bother him so much as the weekends tend to be quieter at the office.  On the full week trips, he is sure to call in at least once-a-day for an update on all the things that he thinks are actually going on.

Planning for a Vacation

Today she is finalizing plans for an Alaskan cruise and, to be honest, I am a little jealous.  My mother has wanted to take an Alaskan cruise for many years and she has finally convinced my dad to do it.  My wife and I have taken two Caribbean cruises (one as a honeymoon, and the other a few years later as a vacation) and both were spectacular!  I would go and do it again in a heartbeat.  I have also never been to Alaska, and this sounds amazing as well.  I love mountains and oceans.  The idea of watching these two merge together into one beautiful horizon seems to be some sort of mental utopia for me.  While I normally would prefer to be warm and swim, I believe I could make a wonderful exception for this kind of moment.

While discussing the possibilities with my mother I was reminded of the quote by Allen Saunders, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”  Suddenly, I found myself disagreeing with this quote.  Life is more than what happens in the mundane day-to-day seconds and minutes that pass us by.  If we are not making plans for “something big” in the future, then what is the point?  We all need goals, dreams, and aspirations.  These are the things we plan for, but they are as much a part of our life as work, ballet, and soccer practice.

Don’t get so focused on the big events, that you forget the little things in life. 

I am reminded of a story of a young African boy who wanted to purchase a gift for his teacher.  This teacher had taught him to look outside of himself and to not be afraid of what life placed in front of him.  He had taught the boy that everything he becomes is a culmination of the things he experienced and the things he learned.  The boy wanted a gift for his teacher that reflected the reality and the knowledge the teacher had bestowed upon him.  He thought for weeks before he finally had an idea.

Early the next morning, the boy rose from his bed, and traveled three days to the coast of Africa.  There, he bent down, took a handful of sand and carried it back to his teacher.  When the teacher saw the gift he was puzzled and said, “Why have you done this?  It is so far to travel for sand.”  The boy smiled and reminded the teacher, “The journey was part of the gift.”

Life is not what happens when you are busy making other plans.  Life is what happens each and every day whether you are making plans or not.  It is up to you to cherish a moment, save it, and share it with others.  It is up to you to make your goals, dreams and aspirations happen.  No one is going to do it for you.  When you get there, take lots of pictures, and keep them safe in a Time Capsule.

It is up to you to stop planning an Alaskan Cruise and take it.

Bon Voyage’ –

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Mark