I'll Cross The Stream

Sandy placed a couple of insightful comments on my last post. She said that "(i)t is those who are looking for treasure who will find it." She also said that people who think they already have treasure won't be looking, and then referred us to ABBA's "I Have A Dream." Sandy says that this song, like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," is about "what may be" and not "what is."

Thank you for the insights, Sandy, and for the referral to the ABBA song. It was a nice throwback to listen to ABBA. It's a feel-good experience, like watching the movie "Mama Mia."

There is a little tension here between dreaming about a better future and being content with what we have. The implication of dreaming about something better than what we already have is not always appropriate, particularly in the context of marital relationships. The grass really is not always greener on the other side. And anyway if it is, get some fertilizer and weed killer and use a lot of tender loving care and try to make your own grass into the greener stuff. It doesn't always work, but it's worth a try. I'm a true believer in fidelity and commitment and finding contentment in what you have.

However, in regard to this tension between contentment and dreaming, I am also somewhat of a mixed up person; I am generally content with what I have, and yet I am a perpetual and incurable dreamer. Dreaming is often what moves you to a better place, sometimes even within the context of a committed relationship. Dreams and visions are what motivate the grand achievements in life.

And, there are times in life, like times when injustice and inequity and tyranny rule, or times when tragedy strikes, or times when markets crumble and you lose everything, or times when your wife of 29 years dies of cancer, that you simply have to dream again of a better future.

To do so is a choice. And what you are choosing is, first and foremost, in your head. It's about your attitude. It is, as ABBA puts it, about seeing "something good in everything I see" and believing in angels and having "a song to sing" and foreseeing a future destination that is worth working toward. And ultimately then, to reach that better future destination, when the time is right for you, you have to be willing to "cross the stream."

I Have A Dream - by ABBA

I have a dream, a song to sing
To help me cope with anything
If you see the wonder of a fairy tale
You can take the future even if you fail
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream

I have a dream, a fantasy
To help me through reality
And my destination makes it worth the while
Pushing through the darkness still another mile
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream
I'll cross the stream - I have a dream