I have a dream!

"A life without dreams is like a garden without flowers." - Anonymous

That is sad. Flowers are so pretty, without them, and garden would become colorless and boring. I like dreaming too. Not too long ago I had a dream that Jason from Friday the 13th was trying to kill me. It was weird. I guess I didn't really like that one, but I like most of my dreams.

My guess is when Anonymous said this, he wasn't talking about the succession on images, sounds, thoughts, and emotions the mind experiences while one is sleeping, but instead about our life goals and aspirations. Let me know if my thinking is wrong.

This is kind of going off of my last post of my dream of growing a beard. I guess I have just been thinking a lot about dreams. So what did you or do you want to be when you grow up? When you were younger did you envision yourself breaking tackles and diving into the endzone, scoring the winning touchdown in the Superbowl? Did you imagine yourself helping a sick child back to health? Did you see yourself as a pilot soaring thousands of feet in the air?

When I picture myself in my dream job, it makes me feel giddy like a little school girl. I can just see it now. I am surrounded by bright young minds, so of the most intelligent in world. They will one day become the future leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, etc. I can see their minds working to acquire the knowledge that they will need to not only to pass the test they are studying for, but to also help them make big decisions in the future. In my dream job I will have more books around me than I will be able to read. Books like The Wealth of Nations, War and Peace, The Tale of Genji, and the works of William Shakespeare. Oh how great it would be, and I will be able to do what I do best... vacuum, sweep, and mop. My dream is to one day be a janitor at Brigham Young University.

Some of you who know me know that I already was a janitor at BYU. I used to clean apartments at Wymount. Oh, and some of the best days of my life were spent there. So wouldn't that be a step back? Haven't I already fulfilled my dream? Yes have fulfilled part of my dream, and it would be a step back if that was the end of my dream. But there is more, oh so much more.

Before I become a janitor, there is much I would need to do. I would like to follow in the footsteps of Michael Nicholson, a 67-year-old Kalamazoo retiree. For his story, please click here. He has 27 college degrees. I want to take that a step further. BYU has 78 possible master's or Ph.D. programs, I am shooting for as many as possible before I am 75-years-old. Then I will submit my application to BYU for a custodial position at the library.

What I would like to do once I have the job is to wear a long trench coat to work everyday. the inside of my trench coat will be lined with my degrees. I will go about my business cleaning and vacuuming the best I can, but I will keep a watchful eye for a student struggling with their homework or studies. When I spot one, I'll quietly make my way over to them in a very discreet manner. Then I will whisper to them something like, "It's (b) kid." Most likely they will respond with something like, "Dude, who is this crazy janitor?" or "How the heck would you know that, this is a graduate-level corporate law assignment that I am working on?" Then I will open my trench coat (hopefully they won't think I am flashing them) and they will see. Maybe I will rig the coat with spotlights for each degree, and when I am talking about a certain degree, I can turn on that light. I want to be a legend... the creepy old guy that knows everything.

Well, that's my dream, what's yours?

Have Yours Dreams Ever Been Crushed?

Did you want to be the President of the United States when you were younger?  Were you sure that you were going to be the next Jerry Rice or Michael Jordan?  Did your parents tell you that you could be anything you wanted to be?

Have you ever had your dreams crushed because you came to the realization that you are an immigrant and can't become President?  Or were they crushed the day you went out for basketball tryouts and everyone was three feet taller than you?

Well I had a dream once.  When I grew up I wanted to be like Abraham Lincoln, Confucius, and Karl Marx.  Did I want to be president?  No.  Did I want to be honest?  Not really something that I have aspired to be.  Did I want to be wise?  Nope.  Did I want to be a communist?  For a little while, but I grew out of that.  What I wanted was to be able to grow a beard.  William Shakespeare once said, "He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man."  I wanted to don the mark of a distinguished, wise, and powerful man.  But here I am, approaching my 26th birthday, and due to my genes I am only able grow facial hair comparable to a 14 year old.  Do I blame this on my parents?  Maybe, but I know they didn't not wish this upon me.

To my immigrant friend who cannot become president, there is always governor.  To my short friend, there is always Madden.  For me, thanks to the discovery of picnik.com, there is always photo shop.

According to a poll by tressugar.com, 50% of women like scruff, 20% like clean shaven, 13% like full beards, 12% like goatees, 4% like sideburns, and 2% like the 'stache.  Well at least I can do a little scruff and I have no problem being clean shaven.  That accounts for 70%.  I just hope Megan falls into that 70%.  I'll ask her tonight.