Our Dreams Must Exceed Our Grasp
We are in the graduation season, followed by the marriage month, June. Throughout the nation, graduating seniors are being given words of wisdom at commencement ceremonies, as one stage of their life ends and they prepare for the next one. They are being told to hold on to their dreams, to dream big, make a difference, and to not get discouraged when life gives them lemons. Words we all need to hear at times.
Teens are great dreamers. They have a whole life to build, so many possibilities to explore. Yes, some of those dreams are unrealistic but that’s okay. Some people feel that they have to knock sense into these young dreamers, let them know how unrealistic their dreams are rather than let them be set up for failure. I’m not of that mindset.
Life has a way of knocking our dreams down to size; they don’t need me for that. Failure is not to be feared but embraced as life’s great teacher. What they do need is people to build them up when they’ve been knocked down, to give them words of encouragement, and to show them how to turn failure into success.
We all need this at times. We all need new dreams to replace ones we’ve outgrown. We don’t need to be afraid of dreaming, and dreaming big. We need dreams to carry us through this life and then beyond. As Robert Browning tells us, “A man’s dreams must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”
So here’s to all the dreamers in the world, young, old, and in between. May you always have the courage to dream and dream again.
What are your dreams? Are they big enough?
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