When Dreams Come True

Last week I reviewed a book about childhood dreams. Yesterday after a MOPS meeting I asked two little kids what they wanted to do when they grew up. The three year old girl said, "Go to Disneyland." The four year old boy told me, "Do homework."

Both kids have a good chance their dreams will come true. In fact the boy is almost guaranteed he'll get his wish, but he may not be happy about that.

Of course both children will change their goals, but the boy's answer to my question made me think of times when our dreams come true, but they aren't what we expected.

For example, my dream to become the author of children's books has come true, but all my previous writing was for periodicals and I never imagined how much time and effort marketing books would require.

There are many dreams more difficult to live with than that.

Sometimes people go through years of education and training only to discover their chosen field isn't right for them after all. And careers that are a good fit aren't always easy. No job is.

Then there are the dream marriages that end in divorce. Even couples who stay together must go through difficulties because no marriage is perfect.

Having children isn't perfect, either. No matter how much people know in advance about the unpleasant parts, pregnancy, childbirth, midnight crying, potty training, etc. are always more difficult than expected. And if they seem hard, just wait until the teen years.

If a child or spouse develops serious health problems or has a disability, that can make the dream seem like a nightmare at times, but love makes managing to cope worthwhile.

While visiting Disneyland is fun, living there forever would probably become more like a nightmare. But, like doing homework, if we keep going even when things are difficult and ask for help if we need it, we'll usually find the benefits are worth the struggle in the long run.