(Achieving the Poet Dream and Author Dream with/thanks to Glen)
(The Music Performer Dream, 1974–one of several bands I created; I played for audiences from 1967 to 2002)
“Life is a dream” wrote Montaigne, the guy who inspired this blog.
We are constantly imagining, fantasizing, and making plans which are, at best, illusion. Often the dreams were and are much better than reality–one of life’s recurring disappointments.
In our dreams, we are mostly alone, subjectively dwelling on that which we want, need, or desire.
Although there are some times when we are part of a group that aims for or wants the same goal or dream. Makes life a little more connective, meaningful, and less lonely.
But I have spent much of my life ‘inside’ by choice, often aware of what consciousness is and means, and how it determines who we are as individuals.
And always, I have been an obvious dreamer, though I feel few disappointments about the life and quality of life dreaming has given me, always lifting me up, moving me forward toward some desired original goal or neat plan.
Looking back, my choices were mostly good. I found friendship when I needed it. I found love when I needed it. I was lucky to find the best possible mate for myself. I lived in a nice home in a quiet, conveniently-located area most of my life. I got the chance to go to university and fell in love with learning, curiosity, and the best ever thought and expressed. Call it my University Dream. Later I got a chance to share some of the latter list with senior high English students for 30 years. For years, too, I wanted to become a real poet and Glen Kirkland helped start me on the road to fulfilling that dream. In high school, I received encouragement in Music to go from operetta singing to becoming a single performer and to leading and playing in many groups, even writing many of my own songs. My music dream.
To become an author did not just happen through poetry and songs; I also, with Glen’s expertise and experience, fell into textbook writing, launching a 30 year career, producing over 60 texts and guides, while selling over a million copies. My Author and Book Dream bigtime, travelling across Canada to speak to thousands of teachers, an experience well beyond my only boyhood and classroom limitations.
There was and continues to be much more by way of dream and fantasy, even today, all within reach, close to today’s unfolding.
I’ve had a good life and do not regret the dreams that failed because of the limitations of others and circumstance. It’s a much greater life than I ever fancied for myself as a snot-nosed kid playing sports or spinning 45s, imagining myself as a disc jockey. (I did BTW get to that dream, though, in my schools in grade 7 and 9.)
Making dreams work, realizing them, having success, enjoying and appreciating the breaks and luck along the way. Not bad overall, in sum.