I had a dream.
I had a dream and that dream gave me a home. That home gave me a purpose. That purpose gave me goals. Those goals gave me ambition. That ambition gave me energy. All that energy gave me hope. At the heart of hope was a dream and when we held that dream together, we redefined what it meant to live: one positive word at a time. We amazed each other, and were happy to hold onto the dream together.
When it was our dream, I was happy to live within the warmth and safety of our home. From within it we could call out to each other, through our connection to our dream, and soothe one another. I had a purpose, a sense of belonging, and an inner tranquility. Our plans were fluid, yet firm. We were the place to which we would return. From our home and purpose, it was easy to set goals. We accomplished so much, individually and collectively. Our goals were many, mundane and massive, multiplying from the merits of our marriage to our dream. As the list of successes kept growing, so did my ambition.
Through our dream, we laid all the groundwork necessary for forever. However, I found myself the sole caretaker of our dream; such a burden should never be borne by one man alone. It was my dream! It was our dream? What did I do wrong? I poured every resource I had into keeping it alive. There was only this one dream, all else is insignificant to our dream. I wanted nothing more. Perhaps it was naiveté, perhaps it was stubbornness, I would not admit you let go of our dream.
Having let go of me, of our dream, it all unravels. From there our home collapses. Gone is the calm serenity of forever, but I will not let go! As homelessness sinks in, I scramble to maintain my purpose. I continue to succeed, with unparalleled effectiveness, in supporting the dream. You may have left our dream in my care, but I will not let it die. I can’t. It’s too important, but I continue to be pushed away from the warm core of where our dream used to live, our home, and our joint purpose. Our goals are no longer shared, nor collective. My goals become to repair and rebuild, instead of improve and enjoy. I am thought of as a means to an end. Further into space I travel. My ambitions become even more resolute, but tainted. Doubts creep in, but I’m cherishing our dream nonetheless.
I get pushed into the final layer of it all, one I was always enveloped in but never before needed: hope. I wonder if I will be saved, or finished off, out here so close to the cold void. With only hope left, I look at all the empty space that once was. I look at where our energy was, where our ambitions were, and where our goals were. I look at how we used to be unified in purpose, and shared a wonderful home. I look at our dream, and wonder if it means anything that I still hold on to it so dearly, when you let go of it so long ago. I look at the decaying layer of hope and before it, and I, are gone, along with the dream you once held with me, I leave a final message: Thank you.
Thank you for redefining life with me. Thank you for the radiant bliss of love. Thank you for the incredible intensity of passion. Thank you for the fulfilling depth of peace, before you left. Thank you for this dream, it’s all I ever wanted. You are all I ever wanted. I will always hold you dear, and remember with great fondness the times you held this dream with me. I will never let it go.
I have a dream.