Broken Dreams

I wrote this while taking stock of my life on my 42nd Birthday

As I start a new year in which will, among other things, see my 42nd birthday, I began to look back at many things that I could have accomplished, but did not due to things either within my control or beyond it. I found that there have been many broken dreams in my life, but I’m having a good life none the less.

Let’s see:I did want to become an airline pilot. I was even accepted into a aeronautical university in Florida. Alas, the lack of funds stopped me. I settled for a time at the University of Texas at San Antonio, but I was unprepared for college life, so I bombed out. I also was unable to complete my Private Pilots license, also due to a lack of funds (that and I was not too motivated).

Result: I joined the USAF and still serve as a Reservist. I will celebrate my 22nd year in an Air Force uniform with 12 of those years in Active service. Now that I’m diabetic, my chances of ever getting even a Recreational Pilots License are now zero.

Oh well.I had a second chance to ascend to the USAF Officer ranks with an appointment to the Academy, but my age was the stopper. Since I was not very good at Math, I would have to attend the Prep School, but I would finish that after my 22nd birthday, and therefore ineligible.

Result: I decided to apply myself as an enlisted person. I soon ended up in the United Kingdom and met my wife.I tried on several occasions to finish my Associates degree, finally doing so in 1993. I did so once again in 2006.

On a silly note, I did want to be a drummer in a Contemporary Christian Band. That fell through when not enough people wanted to form a band. Result: my last performance as a drummer was at a Fiesta parade in 1984. I think the next time I take up drumsticks will be to play a Civil War style drum.

I have other dreams that I have yet to try to do. Visit Gettysburg, see the Great Wall of China, visit Ground Zero at Hiroshima, and walk through Red Square. I’ve got time to fulfill those as long as I have life.

I don’t understand those who feel they are entitled to great success without working at it. I once read about a young man who had tried out for the University of Miami (Florida) football team as a first string quarterback. He had it in his mind while he was growing up that that position would be his for the asking. Problem was, he was not as good as the one who did get the position. He eventually transferred to another school, then proceeded to sue the U of Miami for denying him the position he felt he was entitled to. Instead of accepting a place as backup and improving his skills, he stormed off, claiming “mental distress” and probably destroyed any shot at the NFL he might have had.

I read similar stories about people who sued contests when they lose, or a company when they are fired, again claiming that they were “entitled” to win the contest or keep their job. I saw it almost daily as a security guard at West Corporation, having to escort people who were fired for a company infraction, all the while claiming their innocence (even in the face of recorded evidence) or else proclaiming that even if they accept that they did wrong, the company had no right to fire them.

Everyone has had a dream broken at one time or another, but that is no reason to sue what is perceived as the one who destroyed their dream. In 99% of the broken dreams, the reason can be found by looking in the mirror. We are not entitled to success, but we are required to work for what we want. However, we are not entitled to step on others on the way to that achievement.Sometimes we just need to sit back and review what we do have. Sometimes, when we do that review, that thing we have been chasing turns pale by comparison.

Let me think:I have a hope of salvation by my acceptance of Jesus as my savior.I have a wonderful wife. Our dream of a family was stopped by circumstances beyond our control. Still we are blessed. (Besides, she is saved too.)

I do have a decent job. I also have the right to look for ways to better my career. That is under my control.

I live in a good house. I also have the right to improve that in order to provide for my wife.

I don’t drive a flashy car. What I have is good enough.

We both have families that love us. In that we are super rich.

I can do things I enjoy when I have the time to do it.

We have a wonderful church we can worship in.

We are blessed by working in a Children’s Ministry. (Hey, if we could not have children of our own, we just love everyone else’s.)

All in all, I think my life is just wonderful.So what if I never became an Air Force officer, flying everything from F-16s to the Space Shuttle. So what if I’m not rich. So what if I don’t live in a fancy house and drive a fancy car.This is the nature of life, we try, we fail, and we succeed. Our broken dreams are to lessons that are learned, to be used to help us to the next level. Life is too short to be spent in a game of “only if I…”