When I took my second course in college, which is Education, one of our subjects in school was Child and Adolescent Development. One time, we were discussing about early childhood (about 2 to 6 years old) and late childhood (about 6 to 12 years old). I found out from that particular lesson that one of the favorite amusements of those in the late childhood stage is daydreaming.
When I was at this age, I remember that I was daydreaming a lot. Actually, mine went even past late childhood stage — until my sophomore year in high school, I think.
Daydreaming for me was a hobby then. At night, to lull myself to sleep, I daydreamed (or night dreamed??!) instead of counting sheep. I daydreamed of things that I didn’t have and would want to have.
I daydreamed about me being so wealthy that I have so many luxury cars and a very big house with a very wide and spacious garden. In my daydreams, I was so wealthy that I could buy EVERYTHING I wish to have and visit ALL the places I want to go to.
I daydreamed about being so famous and popular that ALL the people I know will know me too.
I daydreamed about me being perfect.
All these years, I almost forgot about these daydreams until a couple of nights ago when I couldn’t sleep and I suddenly found myself contemplating on them. I suddenly thought about how stupid and shallow they were. But hey…I was young back then! At that time, I didn’t have any idea of the realities of life.
A little more contemplation from that sleepless night and I came up with the following realizations, after having lived the life I have now:
Realization No.1: Being super wealthy is not so impressive at all
I used to work in a bank and I have seen how problematic rich people are. Wealth and riches are things that I can’t bring with me when I die. So these are really very temporary and very complicated at the same time. Money is so hard to gain (or earn) yet so easy to spend.
I realized that in real life, what matters most is that I have a place to live in, I have a stable source of income to provide for my family’s needs, I have some savings for rest and recreation, I have enough for emergencies, and most importantly, I have good health. Yup, I don’t really need to become super wealthy or super rich to have all these. I just have to embrace the simplicity of life.
Realization No.2: Being famous and popular is not really a good thing
Why? I have just three words: LOSS OF PRIVACY. If I were super duper famous, people would be looking for skeletons in my closet. They would be digging for secrets and information about myself for their own personal gain. I would be pressured in doing what the public wants or expects me to do. In other words, the public owns me! Wow, that’s not a very good thought. If it were to happen, I would most likely be banging my head on the wall while telling myself over and over again about what a chaotic world I have put myself into.
Realization No.3: It is perfectly all right if I am not perfect
Nobody is! Perfection is shallow and boring. Well actually, it is unreal. What really matters is that which is inside the heart.
So, did I stop daydreaming? As a matter of fact, I didn’t. But now, my daydreams are the reflections of my hopes and dreams for a better future. They are somehow attainable, especially if they are what God plans for me. Some of these are:
I daydream about my children being all grown up and so successful in life.
I daydream about old age without regrets. This means that whenever I look back, I will be thinking that all has been well and that I don’t regret any single day of my life.
I daydream about me— old but happy and contented. I will be sitting by the beach, watching the sunrise from the horizon, and thanking God for another beautiful day.
Oops…this isn’t the old me yet. But I will be doing more of this as I grow old. I love nature. I love sights like this because it calms me…it calms my restless soul.
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