Shoot the Moon

Neil Armstrong had some stones. Imagine chilling under the stars in the 1930s throwing out dreams and aspirations and a kid says, "Yeah, I'm gonna walk on the moon."

The same kid laying that track down for parents or teachers and the hollow smiles-turned straight ridicule that must have come his way. Imagine the naysayers when Neil actually rocked his lunar hops.

It's one thing to have the stones to dream big. The drive and wherewithal to keep at it and build the foundation and means to get to your dream isn't something that most folks can claim to have come close to.

I'm not sure what that means to most of us who have jobs that never occur to the kid-version of ourselves, but I'm pretty sure that following dreams isn't the same as your present or desired job title.  It's more a matter of allowing yourself to be led by wonder, at whatever age, and then following the path it lays out before you. It's letting your soul guide your actions rather than just going through the motions and collecting a paycheck. It's maintaining a child-like approach to "what-am-I-going-to-do-today?" and backing it up with the focus that transforms it from daydream to blueprint.

It's cool to be around people who are that creativity and vision and fun and follow-through. It's cool when we can occasionally, even for a glimpse, be one of those people. It's something to work towards every day.

Re-reading the Dhammapada of late, a passage on radiant presence:

However young,
The seeker who sets out upon the way
Shines bright over the world.

But day and night
The person who is awake
Shines in the radiance of the spirit.

As someone who stares at an increasing number of gray hairs in the beard when I look in the mirror, I think I'd add "However old" to the opening. People grow and change. Dreams grow and change. Here's hoping they grow and change together.