Different People, Different Dreams

I was talking to an old friend a few days ago, someone I only see once in great while. She's a great friend of mine, my best friend since we were 12 years old. And we may not see each other that often but when we do, it always feels like old times. We sit and talk and laugh just like we did in the past. And last time I was at her house, we talked about the past, reminiscing the way we were, recounting lost first loves and rehashing our dreams.

She reminded me of her goals and dreams when we were in highschool. She always dreamt of being married by the time she turns 26 and have a baby by her 27th birthday. And she did. She got married when she was 26 and gave birth to a healthy baby boy 2 months before she turned 27. She said she is happy and contented although she feels like she missed out on so many things in life.

I was looking around her house, a home she and her husband lovingly built together with a little boy darting from the family room to the living room asking my friend for an ice cream cone. I listened to her recount her highschool dreams and feeling happy that she is now living those dreams.

Then I realized something. I realized that back in highschool, I never dreamt of white picket fences. I wasn't like my best friend. I don't remember setting a timeline on when I wanted to have a baby. In fact, I never dreamt of having a baby. I never dreamed of having a nice house in the 'burbs with a big backyard and a swing with a loving husband, kids and a black lab. Of course I dreamed of owning a house but not like the way my best friend did. And don't get me wrong. I love kids and I have spent the last 9 years of my life helping them. And who knows, maybe someday, I'll start dreaming of having my own too.

But I am only 28 years old and I am still chasing my dreams.

Instead of dreaming about babies and husbands, I was dreaming of a charitable foundation I would set up for orphans and street children. I even drew a "floor plan" on how it would look like and how the whole Center would be landscaped. While she was set on getting married at 26, I was busy dreaming of publishing a book, of becoming a songwriter, of travelling the world. I was busy dreaming of becoming a lawyer who would defend the rights of those who can't afford exorbitant fees of an attorney.

Yes, I eventually got married, too early I should say, but now, I am free from that oppressive shackles called marriage. And now I am back on track, happily chasing my dreams again.

My best friend and I are two different people with different set of dreams.