Saturday, April 18, 2009

"Something Significant"

What a great week... for those who believe in dreams anyway. For those who read my previous blog, I wish I could say that "something significant" made itself evident this week. Well, something significant did happen, but not for me.

You'd have to have spent the week in a cave if you do not recognize the name: Susan Boyle. This middle-aged woman has gone from Scottish nobody to YouTube sensation. Once Ms Boyle went viral, she appeared on US morning shows and was reported on by Charles Gibson on World News Tonight. Why? Because this nobody can sing.

And that brings me to the reason for this post. You see, as I said in my last blog, not all dreams are dashed upon the rocks of reality. When Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain's Got Talent, the immediate response, from everyone, was one of mocking and laughter. If I had been in her shoes (certainly not her dress), I would have been tempted to exit stage left. But Ms Boyle knew something that nobody else did... she had a dream and she knew it was in reach, because she could sing. The first few notes from her mouth silenced the crowd and made immediate believers out of everyone in the hall.

There are two important things to note about this very intriguing event. First, everyone there, both judges and audience, judged Ms Boyle by her looks. She looked very average at best and admittedly was from rural Scotland. What stellar performer could possibly come from such a plain background? Second, the song Ms Boyle chose to sing was: "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. Such irony there. Ms Boyle lives her dream by singing a song about a woman, Fantine, whose own dreams had died: "life killed the dream [she] dreamed."

"Something significant"? Yes, for Susan Boyle... and I applaud her for it. I hope it leads her to humble fame and fortune. Why? Because if "something significant" can happen to the Susan Boyles of the world, it can happen to anyone... including some Basicguy.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Dreams Dashed on Rocks of Reality

As I woke up Easter morning I became aware of a dream I had been dreaming. I like dreams that have some meaning to them. They provide a little mystery in life... leaving one to wonder if there is something prophetic about the dream (or is that pathetic?!). In this case, I was sitting somewhere at a grassy park writing in my journal. The entry read: "Something significant is about to happen in your life." At that point in the dream, people kept interrupting my revere. I was unable to ponder just what "something significant" might mean. I awoke before I had a chance to find out.

As with many dreams, they don't often get fulfilled in a timely manner... at least as soon as mere mortals would like. So here it is a couple of days later, and still nothing on the horizon that looks "significant." It won't be long and the mere mortal in me will forget all about the dream... probably until "something significant" does happen. But then again, there are many kinds of dreams, and experience has taught that most are unfulfilled... and, of course, the reality of it is that we're better if they aren't.

With all this as background, I got a call from my daughter. She was really excited to share some news. She explained she had been to a fair the week before and had entered some drawings. Well, her dream had come true. A person called to tell her she had won a trip to one of 25 different locations for 3 days and 2 nights! Imagine that... a free trip... right.

Well, having had a large number of such calls in my own life, I wasn't quite as excited as she was. She didn't understand my sarcasm and wondered why I wasn't sharing in her luck. Realizing that I wasn't doing much to cheer my daughter on, I turned the phone over to my wife... who told me later that I had squelched my daughter's enthusiasm. Is that what dad's are for?

I suppose that I've had enough dreams dashed upon the rocks of reality, that real life got the upper hand in this case... unfortunately, for my daughter. I should have just shared in her joy and let life handle it. Well, we live and learn... or should.

Now, just because I'm a Basicguy doesn't mean that I believe that dreams come from travel and condo outfits. My daughter's dream had nothing to do with business, just the luck of the draw and a wonderful chance to see some cool and exotic place. I think a whole lot of people can relate to that. I also believe that not all dreams are dashed upon reality's rocks. At least I hope they aren't... I'm waiting upon "something significant" myself.