Dare to Live

I grew up in unique family circumstances, as I've mentioned before, but my little brother means a lot to me. I feel like, in many ways, he has always been the one teaching me.

From an early age Devin has always loved being in the limelight, while I myself am much more comfortable out of it. We all have memories of him on stage either in talent shows, stealing the dance floor at weddings, performing in several just-right-for-him roles in school musicals, and ever entertaining us with his over abundance of personality. He dreams, and he dreams big. Seeing his successes inspires me to chase my own.

Today, however, he reached out to me feeling down and depressed about his future. As we talked I mentioned that life is an uphill battle, something like a rollercoaster that we just hang on for dear life and enjoy the tickling feeling we get in our bellies when good things happen. I gave a monologue on having to fight for things because the universe doesn't believe in just handing things out for good behavior.I pitched suggestions to solve his dilemma, but have now come up with some food for thought.

Where is the line? Where is line between doing what you have to do and chasing dreams? Who decides where that line is?

When I was growing up I used to tell my grandparents, "What does it matter what I major in? I just want to be a mom anyway." Here I am, several years later, fulfilling that dream. However, it was harder than I thought. Making that transition to staying at home took more faith, patience, love, courage, and selflessness than I ever thought it wold. And I think maybe that's what dreaming is. No pursuit of any dream I've ever heard of has been easy. At least, none of mine have ever been. And in many cases, they don't pan out the way we would hope... but I think there's beauty in that.

Yes, dream big. Dream in the long term. But don't live your life awaiting that day when everything will get easier, and sunnier. Live in the now. I wish I had a way of explaining that to a teenager so that it stuck. Because achieving your dreams, it doesn't necessarily mean that you've, "arrived" as the saying goes. As long as the Earth continues to turn on this axis each life will have it's own failures and glory.

So Devin, maybe you're not the smartest kid in the classroom, but you are the most talented. Run with that.