In Praise of Dreamers

I was at my cash register yesterday, when a young pretty lady (understand, at my age all females are young and pretty ladies) brought over one of the clearance ties to check out.  She asked if we had any white button down shirts that would fit her.  She also wanted a narrow, skinny, tie. Now understand, this combination of questions is not the ones I normally get from my usual customers.  My curiosity aroused, I asked her why she needed the shirt and ties. She volunteered she had just gotten a job as a server at one of our local restaurants and the dress code called for a buttoned down white shirt and a tie.

Taking a second look at the young lady and I could not help but ask, “Are you a singer or songwriter or both?”  She told me her story.  After a few dead-end jobs in her hometown of Orlando, she finally decided to pursue her dream of a career in the music business.  So she packed her bags, told her mama what she was going to do and left sunny Florida to come to Nashville. She was, indeed, a songwriter and had done some back up singing. She needed a job that gave her enough time write and meet people in the business.

It’s a story that has been repeated for years. Aspiring writer or singer comes to town, gets a job that allows them time to reach for the golden ring and then proceeds to live their dreams. Unfortunately, too often, the dream becomes a nightmare as they realize there are a lot of really talented singers and a lot of gifted songwriters in Nashville.  To succeed, the dreamer must be talented, lucky, persistent and patient.  Without these, many young people come to town full of hope and dreams, but leave later full of real life experiences and disappointments.

The bright side of the experience, if and when they reflect on it, they didn’t let their untested dreams be a constant reminder of the “should haves” and “could haves” of life.  They will not have to tell their grandkids, “I should or could have gone to Nashville and been a big star.”  They will be able to encourage their grandkids to follow their dreams.  “I followed my dream.  It didn’t work out like I wanted, but, at least, I gave it my best shot!”

The biggest regrets of life are bound up in the things we should have done.  The decisions we should have made.  The most often comment I hear among the white hair set is “I wish I had it (life) to do over again.”  They generally add the qualifier, “Assuming I could know what I know now.”  The kicker is in real life we don’t know what the future holds.  Too many of us let that fear of the future hold us back from pursuing our passions, our dreams.  And too many of us approach the winter of our lives with a long string of “I wish I had...” The real secret of living is to realize, it is never too late to follow your dreams. For most of us, it would be ideal to die with no unfinished dreams or regrets.

That’s my View From The Fall