The cost of a dream
This has to be the corniest title yet, I apologize.
But it’s fitting for this post, because truly, dreams can cost you greatly. Many different people dream for many different things, it’s what makes us all unique. Nationality, geographic location, up-bringing, race, financial situations, age, sex and personality all are factors in what each one of us dream about. Once again, and not for the last time, I’ll elaborate.
Dream (noun)
- A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.
- A daydream; a reverie.
- A state of abstraction; a trance.
- A wild fancy or hope.
- A condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration: a dream of owning their own business.
- One that is exceptionally gratifying, excellent, or beautiful: Our new car runs like a dream.
By reviewing the definition of the word dream, you can get an idea of what I am talking about. But how can a series of images or a condition become something costly? It’s really quite simple since cost is a relative term.
Cost (noun)
- An amount paid or required in payment for a purchase; a price.
- The expenditure of something, such as time or labor, necessary for the attainment of a goal.
Examining the actual meaning of the word cost can reveal that a cost does not have to be monetary. People spend many years chasing a dream, or working towards achieving their dream. To follow are a few examples of what a dream can be.
The dream job is something that many people strive to find. Countless hours are spent on adjusting one’s resume in order to impress a potential Boss. Before the resume can be even written, many years and dollars might be spent on the proper education in order to be qualified for the said job. At first, you may think that the dream job would be one that required very little effort for a large return. This isn’t the case for everyone, some people actually like hard work - morons. There are others that train for years in hopes of just being able to participate in an area that they love. A fine example of this is musicians, they spend countless amounts of time practicing, sometimes never seeing a return on their dream.
The dream house is another sought after dream, especially in the U.S. Again, personal preferences vary greatly as to what the dream house should be. And, to be fair, the variety is out there to cultivate such diversity. If no one ever saw a Victorian style home, there would be little or no interest in the style. Thanks TLC, you’ve created a nightmare. Actually, on the contrary Home Depot, handy-men, carpenters and home decorators thank their lucky stars that TLC started the Trading Spaces craze. They’ve seen more demand in the last few years then ever.
The dream vacation is something where people really are quite different in opinion. With a dream job, or a dream house, there are some definite constants involved. The dream job must have some sort of compensation, either by money or gratification. The dream home must support life, provide shelter and security. With a vacation however, it’s carte blanche. Some people vacation in the desert or climb the tallest mountain on the planet for fun. Not me, give me a chair, a capt’ and coke and a Powerbook anytime. I am a bird of a different feather however. Truly, I’m more more cultured, but I digress.
On the subject of Powerbooks, which is the main reason why I am posting this article - today I had a dream. I’ve seen a few people start to get their new Powerbooks delivered and I dreamt (to myself) about owning a new Powerbook. I thought:
“It’d have to be the 17, yeah, no way I can go smaller. Ummm, loaded, yeah, loaded it must be loaded. An iPod? Duh. What about RAM, how much RAM? 2GB? Done. Would I like an extra display? Duh, again. 23inches later. Would I like keynote installed? I guess I could download that, umm - why not. I must be missing something, oh yeah - wireless mouse please.”
How much did my dream Powerbook tally up to be? $6,130.00. Yes, you read that right. A gnats nut over 6 grand to be precise, and I can tell you, it’d probably be well worth it. Remember, I added an iPod and a 23″ Cinema Display to this dream, which was a good portion of the price. It would be one thing if money were no object, and believe me - it is. But I can tell you first hand that Apple products are worth their weight in gold, and cost about the same amount.
What is my ultimate dream? Be able to afford my dreams. But then, I’d have nothing to dream about, except not being able to afford my dreams, a vicious cycle.
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