DREAMS DIE? NO, THEY GET CROWDED OUT BY NEW DREAMS

Dreams die, or seem to die, because that’s what dreams do.

Does anyone remember the dream they had last night better than the dreams they had as kids?

When a dream is memorable as an adult, which way do they go: nightmare, or comfort? I lean toward the anxious side.

Besides, childhood dreams aren’t exactly the most informed fantasies.

After seeing the scars on Joe Namath’s knees, I dreamed that he’d miraculously heal and rise above the pain. Couldn’t someone donate a good knee to the poor guy?

As kids we needed a long haired, white shoe wearing, mustache shaving hero who boozed it up, got the girl, and still played great football.

What we didn’t need is a drunk interview with an old guy who wanted to kiss the interviewer. But old Joe went to rehab after his awkward on-camera moment, and came out better for it.

Where else do you go when you forget where you are and what you’re doing there?

Some Dreams Die Harder Than Others

Dreams of the ‘Good Life’ come with a few hurdles.

Finding someone to share a dream with? Living a good life means sharing, right? Otherwise you’d never know it’s good.

A man needs a partner so they can learn to understand things like, “That’s not the right color of white paint.”

It goes along with, “I know it’s a heavy cabinet, and I thought it would look better upstairs. But I changed my mind after seeing it in the room. I like it better downstairs.”

A woman needs a partner to teach things to, like:

“Who taught you to fold clothes? Your mother? Did you pay attention?”

And,

“You were in the Army and this is how you make a bed now? This is a court martial offense.”

Men and women who dream of harmony and companionship are better off with cats and dogs than each other. Maybe a fish or a bird.

New Dreams Die Too

We of a certain age grew up in the shadow of the Love and Peace Sixties.

Certain of a more just and equal life ahead, we chugged forward past Nixon to Carter, then reality kicked in. Who expected Reagan to materialize out of the shadows, along with former spy chief Bush?

From Clinton, to Bush II, to Obama, America bobbed and weaved its way along, keeping watch, solving problems, screwing up, then working to solve those problems.

Problem solving is the American way, and we’re learning more about it all the time.

By now, even the most thick headed understand that polluted water is a bad match for good health. Yet, not everyone agrees.

Clean air is an imperative for living things. And again, not everyone agrees.

Air and water, the basics, have taken a ride through the grinder of republican politics. The hard truth is we all breath the same air and drink the same water, so there’s a reckoning on the way.

The Right Dream

How did our great nation take the dip we’re seeing in 2020? Glad you asked.

A man or woman working to get elected to a national office, either the House or Senate, need lots of support. Money is the biggest measure of support, which is why some candidates boast of their number of five dollars donations from millions of fans.

They call it ‘grass roots.’

If money is the object, and the grass roots candidate faces one with wealthy backers who dump truck loads of money into the campaign, they might lose.

For clarity, the candidate who draws coffee money from a wide base loses to the candidate who floods the airways using big money from a smaller group. But they do the same job once elected, which is listening to their constituents and legislating on their behalf.

Big balls donor needs some relief on his industrial production because regulations force him to spend on water purification and air scrubbers?

Senator Jaggoff messages him to step up to the next level of campaign contribution before another environmental protection measure comes up for a vote.

Little Johnny’s mom sends a letter to her congressman explaining the work she’s done. The letter includes research that shows the factory in her town is poisoning kids.

One of them gets the cost of a clean environment reduced, the other gets thoughts and prayers. But, which is which? Go ahead and take a guess.

When public streets and bridges are listed as needing upgrades, is the best solution aiming tax money toward the problems? Or giving big money guys a tax break so they can trickle the windfall down to where it’s needed.

The answer comes with the constant reminders about a crumbling infrastructure.

The Next Dream Up

While you mask up during the pandemic, change in and out of clothes when you leave the house, and check in on loved ones, ask yourself the Big Question:

Which way is the best way to solve problems?

It’s either A: invest hope and dreams in people who show a callous disregard for the common man. Add your voice to those who share the destructive values of race baiting, gender stigma, and willful ignorance.

Or, B: invest a vote for those who understand the importance of clean air, pure water, a fair playing field, and justice for all.

With the first choice, we’ve seen their work. They do a good job for their sponsors, not so much for anyone else. But their pointed message lands on pointed heads and convinces them it’s the right thing as long as they “Own the libtards.”

The second choice, B, is the helping hand up. Making a better America is a good goal, and helping out the greater population is the best way.

We’ve seen how the helping hand can work; we’ve seen the slap down hand at work, too.

From an individual point of view, which one works best? Take a deep breath, and a drink of water out of a faucet, while you think about it.