I never used to consider myself a dreamer. 

Sure, I had wants and desires, but I never pinned to meet Peyton Manning or to visit Hawaii. I wanted to, but they were far off achievements in my mind. When it came to things that I actively pursue, such as becoming a starting high school baseball player, I never had a burning hope that I could achieve my goal. The feeling was a determination toward a set goal to achieve and then move on to the next goal. 

Looking back, I just had the wrong mindset. The dreams were there, but how I looked upon them was just wrong.

My wife, Holly, is a dreamer. It is one of the reasons I married her. When we were still only friends, the way she expressed her dreams in an excited, poetic fashion always made me smile and somewhat wish I had dreams. My high school goals were behind me, and I had nothing much left to achieve. I had friends, food and a decided major. I did not think my life could amount to much more. But that starry zeal Holly had was difficult not to let the positivity warm me up.

Deciding to get married while in college was the spark that ignited my dreams. It was an idea that my mother said out of the blue which turned into a joke between Holly and I. That joke lead to curious researching, which in turn lead to serious internet searches. We eventually sat down one night, and we made up our mind to seriously research getting married in college. I caught the starry zeal that night.   

Turned out, getting married in college was easier than we both anticipated. We would receive loan money for our living space, and we rented an apartment that is a 10-minute walk from the university. I still cannot believe our plans, for the most part, came together smoothly. On top of that, Holly and I got a free ride to Hawaii for our honeymoon. It was given to us out of the blue by Holly’s father. Never in my entire life did I have so many dreams come to fruition. 

Now, I can say I am a dreamer. I allow myself to envision where I want to go and what I want to achieve, even though I may not be actively pursuing them. Dreams are not about whether you achieve them or not. They show who you are and who you want to be. They provide a positive push during the days when nothing goes right. It provides a reason to live, to become creative with your future possibilities. Even if your dream of becoming a starting high school baseball player never happens, at least you had fun imagining it and pursuing it, if you tried. 

Achievable, realistic goals used to drive me. Now, I wander among the stars, admiring their shine. Occasionally, I will catch one that happens to pass my way.