Theological Thoughts for Thursday

Alma lives vicariously through me sometimes. Her mother was a piano teacher, just like mine. Alma loves hearing stories about my mother, because my mother acts and thinks just like hers did. Her mother died 64 years ago, when Alma was 12. Alma often wants to know my mother’s opinion on trivial matters in my life. It’s important for her, because it’s a small window into how her mother might have reacted, how her life might have been different if her mother had lived. She wonders if her mother would have also encouraged her to go for her dreams.

I’m in South Korea now (I write these weeks in advance, so I assume I have made it safely!). I had a number of options after graduation, but going to South Korea was the only one that really felt like it was heading in the directions of my dreams. One other option sounded great. The pay would have been better, the location more familiar, and my friends closer. But I knew that I would have been too happy in that position. I would have settled. I wouldn’t have followed my dreams. The enemy of “great” is “good enough.”

Now, I couldn’t explain this principle to many people when I was making my decisions. But, I called mom and explained why I was making the choice I was making. I expected her to be exacerbated by my lack of common sense, but she calmly replied, “Yes, you need to follow your dreams. You don’t want to settle for any less than your dreams.”

This is one of those concepts that has been well formed in my heart. Dad gave up the opportunity to go to college because of a girl. Mom refused a helicopter flight to the top of Mount Rushmore because she was afraid her long hair would get caught in the propellers. Mom never joined the peace corps and never went for her masters. Dad didn’t declare Florida residency, the one missing piece in his application, to get his dream job at Disneyworld. I was always taught to go for my dreams, to never settle and never be afraid.

So, here I am, living out my dreams. Working toward my goals. Alma lets me know that I’m also working toward her goals. That I’m living out her dreams, too.