Dream Today

Orrin Woodward quotes Einstein when he says, “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” and he completes the thought by saying that, “if we can image the future, we can create a new today.” Let’s Imagine Together..

For the sake of perspective and for later reflection, let’s start with what my life is like today and see if imagination can change my tomorrow. I awake suddenly; the alarm blaring, announcing the commencement of a new school year. The cool morning air of late summer blows through the window and I know that getting out of bed would not be nearly as pleasant as the warm sheets enveloping my body. I arise drearily and shut off the screeching clock, imagining to myself how nice it would be to smash that terror of the morning. Senior year of Bible college starts in just a few hours and I must be ready for whatever stresses that may bring, so it’s off to the shower for me. As the warm water pours over my unclad body, I thank my Lord for the life He has given me and chuckle a little at the recent memory of the roaches scurrying away when I turned the lights on in the bathroom only moments before. I can’t afford much as a college student and the little three bedroom, that myself and four roommates had, was as nice as any student could ask. It serves as a humble reminder, however; that I am in all senses, now considered an adult by our world. Bills must be paid, laundry must be washed, food cooked, dishes cleaned, hours worked, studies finished, relationships kept up, and hopefully, amongst all the work I would find the time to sleep. Now clean and dressed, I sit with a bowl of cereal on the old couch, with torn arms and soft cushions. We got it free from someone who was going to throw it away. It fit well with the rest of our obviously college student furniture, another six dollar couch from goodwill and some camping chairs; life is good and cheap is how we live it.

Almost mindlessly, I take the next steps in my daily routine, collecting my school books and my gear for work. Walking outside, the sunburst orange of my inexpensive Suzuki glints in the sunlight; it’s beautiful, but deceptively so, for that beauty is fettered with debt and with bills. The five minute drive to school passes quickly and the long search for a space to park begins, usually ending up with my car parked as far away from my class as possible while still technically being “on campus.” After three hours of class, my rear is beginning to be sore and the hard chairs do nothing to help the situation. As usual the professors teaching expands my mind and challenges my thought. Gladness fills my heart as I remember the advise I took from Chris Brady and Robert Kiyosaki; “if you are going to go to college, then go to a college where you can learn something you are passionate about, not one where you can be trained to do a job,” they said. After class finishes, I quickly pack my things and rush off to my car only to spend the next hour on the road, so I can make it to work on time and give them their eight hours and they can give me the check. Lucky for me, I get to spend this time getting personally mentored by some of the best business minds in this country. With the voices of Orrin, Chris, Lance, Randy, and many others flagrantly imbuing my mind with the thinking the wealthy, my thoughts dance with dreams of the future and the power of imagination.

Arriving at work brings my mind suddenly back to the moment at hand and I must now start the drudgery of an eight hour work day. At least the chairs are softer than the ones at school. As my fingers wander tirelessly over the many small screws and parts of the finely crafted machines, my mind drifts to the enchanting thoughts of a brighter and more challenging future. Those thoughts are the glint of hope that keep me from digressing into insanity from the sheer repetitiveness of my life. I see the look of hopelessness in the eyes of my fellow workers and wonder if they know that a better tomorrow starts with a bigger dream today; that to have something to live for, something to fight for makes life worth living. Looking into my co-workers eyes, I see a hopelessness that asks incredulously, “is there more to this life?” The time passes slowly, and the work work bores quickly; there is nothing new to learn and that makes the job seem pointless. Every few moments I glance over at the clock and am surprised by how little that long black hand has moved. I am reminded of how I feel about my dreams, checking my progress every few days and noticing that I am not progressing as fast as I would like. That’s okay though; persistence will pay off, because I know that when passion and skill come together that I can expect a victory. After many more machines are repaired and several more customers are helped, the clock finally hits that wonderful hour signaling my eight hours of slavery are over and now I am off to build my dreams. I make a phone call and confirm the time and place I am meeting him. He’s a young man, probably my age and tonight I am going to share a dream with him. We are sitting at the kitchen table of his home; a piece of white paper and a pen lay in wait on the table for a time after a friendship has been established and a need has been found. I must know who and where he is if I am to have any hope of showing him who he could become and where he could go. I learn about his job and how he dreads it. I learn about his kids, and how little time he has with them. I learn about his wife and how much he loves her and wishes he had more time to dote on her. I learn about his hopes and how he is starting to believe that they are not possible. I learn that he has stopped dreaming and how he wonders if there is more to this life. Sometime has passed now and he wants to know what I came here this evening to show him. I sit back and ask him if he knows what it means to live out of the glory of his imagination. His puzzled yet inquisitive gaze tells me all I need to know. Life has been as hard for him as it has for everyone of us; so hard in fact that he has lost his hope and his ability to dream. Leaning forward once more I begin to tell him a story, a story filled with hope and dreams, a story that can and will be reality if only we’d fight for it. “Let’s imagine together,” I say...

The sun bursts forth through the open window and a sweet tropical breeze caresses my senses. Time doesn’t matter in paradise and the only alarm comes from God and His creation. The scent of fresh fruit tantalizes my tongue and the morning melody of many birds tease my ears. I roll over, savoring the rested feeling that only freedom can bring and gently caress her face. My beauty, every peaceful breath she draws causes my heart to melt a little. What a precious gift she is; I wonder if she knows the depth of my love? Does she know I’d give my life for her, if ever it was asked? Quietly I slip out from under the warm covers and head to the shower, pausing briefly at the panoramic window to take in the view. The ocean is so vast, the sky is so blue. I sigh and think about what I’d be missing if I had chosen not to fight for my dreams. The warm breeze nuzzles my unclad body and reminds me that I have a shower waiting. Another day of freedom lies just around the corner and I must be ready for whatever adventures that may bring. So, I make my way to the bathroom, turn on the shower and admire the many jets of streaming water. I had always wanted a shower that would spray from every direction, a shower who’s only goal in life was to completely wrap me up its warm watery embrace. As the warm liquid pours over my body, I thank my Lord for all that He has given me and chuckle a little at the recent memory of my beautiful bride sleeping next to me only moments before, an exemplary gift to an undeserving man. It’s not much but this little six bedroom villa in the Caribbean Islands is more than any man can ask. It servers, however; as a quiet and humble reminder of all that is possible when one fights for his dreams. Bills are all paid, laundry is taken care of, food is being cooked. All that’s left for me to do is be a daddy to my kids, a husband to my wife, and leader to my team. Now clean and dressed I move to the kitchen and proceed to successfully rouse my boys with the succulent smell and crackling sound of freshly cooked bacon. We sit down in chairs much nicer than the ones from college, but all of that is meaningless compared to getting breakfast with my wife and kids in the middle of the week. No rush for work, no rush for school, no rush at all. We just get to enjoy each others company. Life is good and free is how we live it.

To Be Continued...