Youthful Dreaming

When I was younger, I wanted so badly to be a superhero.

I recall when I seriously considered how hard it would be to become Spider Man. I thought through what it would take to cross myself with radioactive spiders so I’d obtain the traits of the spider while still human. I wanted that possibility to be so real.

I imagined myself running through the streets of Cleveland, jumping from building to building, in search of criminals and making the city a safer place. It felt so real and so possible that when it dawned on me it wouldn’t happen, I was crushed.

Then as I thought on it further, I realized the chances of that happening were slim. There was no way I’d find a spider like that and no way to tell if the desired effects would actually occur.

With those hopes dashed, I turned to a more realistic hero in Batman. I figured if I could create or obtain enough gadgets like him, I’d be a force to be reckoned with. Having no money or technical skill to create those devices, I soon found myself distraught once again with the realization it would never happen.

The thing is, I wanted these to be real possibilities in life. I wanted to be a hero, to save others, and do good. I felt an ache inside when I couldn’t make it happen. I blurred fantasy with reality and when reality won, I had a difficult time reconciling that harsh truth.

I suppose reading comic books and being aware of bad things around me made me want to do something about it. As a young pre-teen, I had no control over evil. Murderers, kidnappers, drug dealers-I could do nothing to stop them. Visualizing myself as a superhero was my way of trying to contribute to a positive outcome in an otherwise difficult world.

I’ve yet to find a radioactive spider or create an arsenal of cool gadgets, but I have tried to do good as much as possible in all situations. I fail, but my mindset is always to do what’s right. It’s not the same as jumping between buildings with the strength and dexterity of an oversized spider, but I do what I can.

 

Sacrifice for Greatness

Nothing worthwhile has ever occurred without tremendous effort and sacrifice. You must be able to set aside your “wants” and make it happen.

Anyone’s who has ever wanted to be a writer, a musician, or an athlete cannot attain greatness without some sort of sacrifice.

I’ve heard time and time again from would-be writers that they want to write. Ok, well do it! You cannot call yourself a writer if all you do is wish to be one. Add pen to paper, scribble a word, and add more. Sit at your computer and type those glorious words one after another. Those are what begin to make you a writer.

Learning to play an instrument isn’t easy. Figuring out chords, notes, and timing takes…well, time. You have to practice a lot. There’s no other way around it. Wishing to be a musician doesn’t make it happen.

You must do something in order to achieve these goals. You must get up off your chair and lift weights if you intend on improving your physical strength. You must go out and run if you intend on improving your cardio health. Sitting down and wanting to do these things doesn’t make them happen. Actually doing them does.

In order to achieve any of this, you must be willing to sacrifice something. All of these take time. So instead of playing video games, lift weights. Instead of sleeping in late, you have to get up early to write that story. Instead of watching television, you should practice your scales.

Time is both finite and infinite. We as humans only have so much of it, limiting what we can do with it. How you chose to spend your time will dictate how successful you are in your endeavors. You must be willing to give up whatever time you dedicated to doing nothing to activities that will get you closer to your goal.

Wanting to do something is one thing, but putting your actions into play–actually giving an effort into it–will get you closer to your dreams. Doing so means not doing something else. That’s the sacrifice required to achieve your goals.

How willing are you to let go of what’s holding you back? You’ll be amazed at the results when you are willing to give up your fleeting entertainment in order to focus on your dreams.

Dreamwraith

Here’s a fun story exposing why we’re all tired.  I hope you enjoy! If so, please leave a comment or share it with others.

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A warm darkness permeated the bedroom.  It promised to suffocate any living thing.  The inky blackness shrouded the entire room in a hopeless gloom.  The only visible objects were the sharp, crooked fangs of the dreamwraith looming over its prey.

Under a patchwork quilt stitched together by her grandmother’s wrinkled, loving hands, Shannon lay in a deep sleep, unaware of the evil hovering just above her.  Her soft blonde curls fell about her face in gentle caresses.  Her body grew and shrank with each deep breath.

Above her, the dreamwraith grinned.  His black cloak unnecessary in the late hours as the moon dared not shine this night.  “I’m ready to feast,” he said out loud.  His wispy voice carried across the dark room.  He learned long ago that at this hour, his chances of being caught were slim.  The chance existed, but that was only one of many things that excited him about being a dreamwraith.

“My lovely Shannon, how I’ve missed you.  I’ve been waiting to feast upon your dreams once again.  Their flavor so delicate and succulent.  Feed me well yet again,” the dreamwraith said.  His white eyes darted up and down the bed looking at the gentle woman sleeping unaware of her visitor.

Shannon was young and still in college working on her degree in Medieval literature.  A degree almost worthless in rural Ohio, but yet she stuck with her passion to the dismay of her parents.

Shifting her position on the bed, she lay on her stomach, one leg hanging out of the quilt.  Saliva dripped from the dreamwraith’s mouth as Shannon’s movement made his heartbeat quicken.

With a long bony hand, the dreamwraith reached out and palmed her head.  Suddenly his vision went from oppressive black to vibrant blues and deep verdant shades.  He looked around and saw forests and a mighty river flowing to his right.  The rushing water crashed on rocks which stuck out from the river like sentries.

The dreamwraith smiled again.  He tasted the sweetness of Shannon’s dream, could taste the overwhelming freedom and his urges pushed him over the edge.  He stood there on a field of green dotted with yellows and reds and violets in his black cloak, a jarring reminder of his task to take away the dreams of humans.

He reached out to the ground and scraped at it with his gray-boned fingers.  Shoving the delicacy in his mouth, he closed his eyes as he savored the sweet nectar of Shannon’s dream.  The honey-like consistency coated his mouth and throat.  He choked on it, but that was why he came back.  No other dreams he’d eaten tasted like hers.

His kind wasn’t supposed to be attached to any one person.  They were supposed to go from one to another lest the human discovered them.  Dreamwraiths have been caught over the years, but they always figured out a way to silence the person.  They were forbidden to return to any human until five years had passed.  That was enough time for the human to forget anything out of the ordinary happened.

But he couldn’t stay away.

This was the dreamwraith’s third visit to Shannon in the past year.  Her dreams were a powerful drug, an addiction he couldn’t get rid of even if he wanted to.  Just the thought of them made his knees tremble and his mouth water.  When the inferior dreams no longer satisfied him, he visited Shannon to feast on her exquisite, sumptuous gift.

He scraped more of her dream from the ground shoving it in his mouth.  His mouth exploded in vibrant, exotic flavors.  The unique taste of her dreams coursed through him.  It fueled a lust deep within.  He dropped to the ground and with both bony hands, shoveled the dream into his open maw, greedily gorging on the delectable dream.

Shannon stirred and the dreamwratih found itself in the dark bedroom again.  “No,” it hissed, “you must stay asleep my dear.  You will not turn me away.”  His blank white eyes stared at her.  He lifted his hand to her head again and stood in the green fields once more.  Immediately he dropped to the ground and returned to his gorging, his entire being caught up in the orgiastic pleasure of her dream.

In no time he devoured almost the entire dream, his hunger still not sated.  He stood a moment in the void of what was once her dream with only a small section of blue and green color left.  Savoring the taste of his last bite, he let the flavor wash over him.

Shannon moved and he knew his time was shortening.  Lunging at the spot of color still visible in the dream, he tore at it, shoving it in his mouth, filling himself with her essence.  The moment he took the last bite of her dream, he found himself back in the dark bedroom.

It wasn’t as dark as before.  The tendrils of morning seeped in, breaking the doom of the night.  Slowly the dreamwraith backed away, his lust fulfilled.  He stepped back towards the corner of the room as Shannon moved on the bed.  The patchwork quilt tossed to one side while she moved her arms and rubbed her legs together.  The dreamwraith grinned as he stared at Shannon.  He knew what she tasted like and it was his secret.  She raised from the bed and he winked out of the room, satisfied for now.

***

Shannon awoke feeling tired as though she hadn’t slept in a long time.  Why am I so tired still? she thought.  For the rest of the day, Shannon couldn’t drink enough coffee or energy drinks to keep her alert and awake.  It reminded her of pulling an all nighter yet she slept for over eight hours the night before.  When she got home from school, she ate a quick dinner and went to bed, her mind and body completely exhausted.  Never knowing why she spent the day with her eyes half open, Shannon drifted off to a peaceful slumber.