To dream the impossible dream

I read a magazine article once about how you have to have really concrete, specific dreams in order to make them come true. The lady in the article said that the reason she got up every morning at 5 am and ran a couple of miles was because she had a dream that she was 60 years old, and was walking along the beach and ahead of her were two grandchildren about 5 and 7, and they ran back to her and wanted help building a sand castle. And for her to run and play with them in the water and the sand, required her body to be physically fit. So when the alarm clock went off, and it was too cold or wet to go exercise, she would bring the dream to mind, and then get out of bed. Just exercising because some government agency says we should all get 30 minutes each day is not enough. (Believe me, I know... having hit the snooze button many times....)

When I was younger, I had a dream of having a big dining room table. My mom had a kitchen table where we sat 3 kids to a side, and I didn't particularly enjoy being squished. Also, the middle person was always asking someone on the end to get up and get them something. (My family can feel free to chime in with how they remember life being, since we all know my memory can be a bit faulty). A couple of years ago I bought a big table, two leaves, and the ability to seat 10 people comfortably and 12 if you squish. I only bought 8 chairs because who has room for 10 chairs hanging around an apartment? I had realized the dream...... But it isn't exactly the dream. I have lived alone for all the time I have owned this table except last week, and let's just be honest.... when you live alone, you don't really sit down and dine at a table with a napkin :) In fact, even with a roommate, we both tend to eat standing up in the kitchen for breakfast since we are trying to get out the door to work, or on the couch to watch a tv show for dinner. I have had my family over for dinner maybe once a year since I got the table. Owning a big table at this point in my life doesn't really fulfill a dream. It is just owning a big table. Perhaps if I got rid of the big table, I could make room for a new dream....