December 22, 2014
Think back with me.
Do you remember yourself…
in your bed…
and as a child…
falling lazily asleep…
the night before Christmas?
Probably not. As you read each line of that sentence images may have come to mind. It is easy to remember the last time you were lying in bed. It is almost as easy to recall or imagine doing so as a child, and reflect back fondly on being carefree, effortlessly drifting off to sleep in warm comfort. However, as soon as Christmas comes into the picture it all changes! You weren’t calmly dozing off the night before Christmas. You were excited as hell! You bounced off the walls in anticipation. When and if sleep came, it was at the insistence or coaxing of your parents, “Sweetie, the sooner you close your eyes, the sooner Santa will come,” followed by an inaudible mumbling of “please just lie down and go to sleep!”
Then the adults go to sleep
Something happened though as we got older: less and less of the world became quite that exciting. Through repetition, even Christmas lost the energy that it had back then. Somewhere in the effort to start a career, maintain a family, and get along in this world something goes wrong. We do less of what excites us. We have less new, adventurous experiences, and relax more into our daily or weekly routines. Life may be pleasant, and even enjoyable. It’s just that… well… isn’t it just a little mundane?
And I get it: “Life is challenging.” However, I remember my childhood. It was still challenging. School, homework, exams, grades, and managing the expectations of my teachers and parents took a lot of time and diligence. Navigating social situations was not a walk in the park, even when that’s exactly where we were waiting to get picked for the team. Even still, I’ll climb out on a limb and say my experience was on the mild side of many. And I know you’re thinking Really dude? Being a kid was cake and ice cream compared to life now. Yeah, of course it was… but we’re also adults now. Time to level up. The point is that while it still held challenges and stressors at the time, we were still excitable and energetic. We had our pint-sized responsibilities and we still ran and laughed and made the world smile when it saw us. (My mother might remember some of this differently.)
So what changed? (I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t the world.)
When we were young, everyday there were new ideas, people, places and experiences in front of us. Everyday there was a new game to play or make up. I particularly liked wrapping my superhero cape [translate: old bed sheet] around my neck, going in to battle with my sidekick [translate: little brother,] and using my laser vision [translate: cross-eyed blinking] and elite ninja skills [translate: awkward flailing] to vanquish the evil foot soldiers [translate: seriously, there was nobody even there] of the dark empire [translate: mother]. (Again, my mother may remember some of this differently.) The world didn’t change, but everyday our perception of it did. It expanded. We laughed, and had fun. However, we were also constantly learning new, and often very different things.
Down with the Mundane
Comfort doesn’t make your experiences exciting. Neither does doing things to make your life “easier.” While having a lifestyle that is too comfortable, or too easy is a good problem to have, I for one expect more! Playing games, and lightening up a bit can help but that’s just the start.
So if that is just the start, what’s the end? Hopefully there isn’t one! Hopefully there will always be another beginning- another hobby, skill, or experiment to learn. Hopefully, I will always find a new adventure to embark on and another dream to realize. It may have felt more effortless as a child. However, if you believe that you have nothing left to learn, nothing left you want to experience, nothing left to dream about, it’s ok, but this may not be the place for you. If, however, you want to see magic in the world again, if you dream not only of your dreams but of making them exist, if just the thought of your routine being a little more exciting excites you, join me!
You may wonder why I’m doing this. What do I get out of it? Plainly, it excites me to think about this project existing. It excites me to think about being able to help people reclaim this part of their lives. I’m not special. I live a fairly ordinary life. However, I know when something excites me. I know how it awakens, and energizes me. We constantly let other people, standards, and forces dictate our lives. We let Bucket-lists trick us in to putting off our dreams till a day that never comes. We operate out of fear, and make “safety” a deity. I want us to get over that. I want us to remember something we long ago forgot. I want a future for us that is actually about the future and not about the past. If you feel this way too come with me, because if we are going to pull this off, we are going to need all the help we can get!
Venture to Dream my friends
-Michael Speck
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2 Comments
- If Life is Just a Game, Who’s Winning? - […] is absolutely nothing to be done about the dishes. I don’t subscribe to that belief. Look, if a 5…
Barb
December 23, 2014
I love reading your posts! I remember what it was like as a child going to bed on Christmas eve, and as a grown up getting you and Tim to bed on Christmas eve then waiting and waiting. One year, I fell asleep waiting and woke up after dad had done it all, It was like it was when I was a child… Santa had come!
I look forward to your posts as I start on my new adventures.