The Hope in Impossible Dreaming

"The permanent temptation of life is to confuse dreams with reality. The permanent defeat of life comes when dreams are surrendered to reality." - James A. Michener

There are the impossible, unrealistic, far-reaching dreams. One such for me is to own a house overlooking the ocean, on a cliff in Laguna Beach. Nothing says that this is an impossible dream, but the likelihood of it happening is slim to none. It's so far on the "impossible" side of the continuum, that it barely crosses my mind as an eventual possibility. That, in itself, is what makes it a dream.

These types of impossible dreams are fun, as they give us something to strive for. Nonetheless, we do not find ourselves hurt, disappointed, or lacking when they are not a part of our reality.

Certain dreams are nearer to the middle of the spectrum – they are the possible ones, the ones which we can actually envision achieving. Hope further inspires us to make those dreams a reality.

Once a hopeless dream crosses the chasm to hope or even reality, it becomes harder to let go. When you thought you couldn't have it, it didn't register in reality. It was simply a dream. But when it's within possible reach, it becomes reality. You can see how fulfilled you could be and it becomes impossible to let it cross back over, thus inviting the potential for hurt, longing and loss.

Hopeless dreams give us something perfect and untouchable. Reality taints that perfection, especially when reality doesn't have space for the dream, and you have to tell yourself to let go, to put it back in the impossible dreams section. But can you do that once a dream enters the realm of reality?

"Though dreams can be deceiving, like faces are to hearts
They serve for sweet relieving, when fantasy and reality lie too far apart"
- "Slow Like Honey"
Fiona Apple

"Don't come around if you're lost
Until you consider what it will cost
You pull me then push me away
Chasing you's not any fun
Maybe I'm not what you want"
- "What You Want"
Ingram Hill