Keep on dreamin', keep yourself lively

"Keep on dreamin', boy, 'cause when you stop dreamin' it's time to die." -- "Change" by Blind Melon

I was laying in bed when I heard that lyric for the first time. My brain was fighting my body's urge to sleep, and I had been staring at the ceiling for at least an hour before the line of that song took over my thoughts.

Did the dreams that Shannon Hoon sang about refer to the vivid images that transpire behind our eyelids while we rest? I think the lyric is much deeper than that.

We spend our entire lives immersed in dreams, starting as children. When we are young, we dream of being older and establishing ourselves. These dreams give us reason to live as we work towards our goals of getting an education, having a family, and genuinely being happy.

When I was in high school, I dreamed of being out on my own, graduating high school and college and being successful. I have completed the majority of those goals.

The point is, what is next once you fulfill all your dreams? Do you give up and just settle into your daily routine, or should you set new goals for yourself so you do not get bored?

As I get used to where I am in life, I have set forth new dreams to chase. Maybe it's time to surpass the weekend parties and settle down, for example.

I sometimes wander what kind of dreams my parents and grandparents could possibly have as they get older and have fulfilled all my aforementioned goals. They have established themselves in society and settled into their daily routines.

I realized as they stand beside me, their dreams are to make sure that I, along with siblings and a cousin, have the means to be successful.

Right now, I am 23-years-old. I have many dreams to chase, and I am sure those dreams will change and grow. I know the day I stop dreaming for the future, I will lose a little part of me. The part that keeps me pushing towards the next step in my life.

If you stop building on those dreams and looking towards the future, you may not pass away physically but your mind and soul will feel like they no longer have a purpose.

Keep on dreamin', and keep yourself lively. If each day has a new goal to strive for, it makes it feel like this life is worth living.

Sabrina is a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or by email at swestfall@gcdailyworld.com .