Do you ever look at your life and question how you came to be at this point? I have.
Don't get me wrong, I love my wife and I love my children, and I'm not necessarily dissatisfied with where I am, but I never imagined my life quite like it is. I'm not saying that I had telepathic abilities as a child to unlock the mystery of my future, but I never dreamed of being a music teacher that I remember.
Annelise says she wants to be a Ballerina teacher and a mother. In fact, most little girls that are friends with her have similar aspirations; which, in my opinion are well within their reach. When I was a little boy, my friends wanted to be Major League Baseball players or NBA basketball players or sports car drivers or rock stars or actors. Are girls just more pragmatic than boys?
Perhaps there are levels of pragmatism and one can move between them arbitrarily, at will or subconsciously. What about dreams? Do you have dreams, or did you have dreams? That is, are they behind you or before you, or maybe you buried them and they're nowhere to be seen. What is the purpose of those dreams? Are they God given or selfish ambition, a dream from your parent placed on you or environmentally influenced? More importantly, are they(the dreams) part of who you are, or chosen outside the scope of personality and ability.
If someone is extremely good at sports, recognized by many others, is it impractical for them to pursue the NBA or NFL? Someone once said to me, "Shoot for the stars and if you land on the moon then its still OK."
At times I feel as though pragmatism is caught like the flu. You catch it from well meaning people that have become content and pleased with their own practicality and think that you would be wise to do so yourself. Or perhaps their dreams were broken and they want to save you from the same fate.
When it comes to my children and their dreams, I have resolved to scrape off every last bit of pragmatism, practicality, fall-back-on thinking and encourage them to pursue those dreams and even move past calling them dreams and call them goals, and write them down and give them due dates, and come up with a plan to reach those goals, wow that's sounds pragmatic doesn't it! Though my method may be, my advice won't be, and then comes my part! Support. Encourage. Pray!
Annelise-future Mommy, Ballerina Teacher and Brain Surgeon
Olivia-Future Mommy, Adventurer(Missionary) and Veterinarian
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