Dreams

Not the kind that comfort or haunt your sleep but the kind that sustain you and are slowly grown in your subconscious mind during your waking hours.  The kind in which you see the future as you would like it to be.  Your longings and desires.  What forms those kinds of dreams?

Surely even the most desperate of environments can't take away the desires of a young girls heart.  We've seen the story time and again.  Eventually, whether they admit it or not, they all long for Mr. Right to come along and sweep them off their feet.  But if you've never seen that kind of life and never known the kindness of others, where does this idea begin?
 
And young men, who are evil or selfish at heart, do they really want that?  Do they begin as a child with a desire to dominate and control the world around them?  Or do they, too, have a longing for a peaceful, prosperous life that contains the faithful devotion of a soulmate...a wife?
 
All selfishness aside, what do we all really want?  Peace? Contentment? Belonging to something?  Doing something for others?  Having friends and family who care for us.  To feel like we count for something?  To know we've done well.  Maybe not in a prosperous sense but in an overall sense that we're okay.

But then, enter a nature that is haughty, selfish and uncaring.  One that protects itself from external pain, possibly of their own making, by stiking out and hurting others...keeping everyone at arms length to avoid feeling more hurt but in reality, bringing hurt and seclusion back on one's self in a destructive spiral.  Trying to force people to do what they want by manipulation and threats.  No room for compromise or other peoples plans...it's all or nothing. 

Leaving those close to them no alternative other than to defend themselves against the assault of their temper and anger...or simply stay away leaving them more alone than before. Not really what anyone wants. It's robbery.  Stealing hope, shared experiences, chances for love and togetherness.

When you love someone like that, it takes the joy from the loving experience.  It hurts everyone involved.  It leads to damaged relationships, closed doors, and defensive attitudes. 

No dream is safe to share.  No idea good enough to develop.  No worry or care important enough to deserve compassion. 

YOU are a failure and you are incapable of making that person happy.  You haven't lived up to their expectations. And their unhappy, lonely existance is your fault...and you're gonna pay!

It's a sad thing.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Dreams are important...they give us hope.

Hope is something everybody needs.

Pondering...as always,
Wanderer


"If you think you've given something your all, but your all is all about you, then you haven't truly given anything." ~A. Gimbledorf

The Wall #11

  This post is in response to a writing prompt from Jenny Matlock and her meme, Saturday Centus.  This week's prompt is in bold, italic font.  The allotted word count was 150 plus the 4 words of the prompt.  My spin on the Centus for the last 11 weeks has been a continuing story based on a few memories, some family history and my imagination.  If you'd like to read the story from the beginning, click here.
Without further delay, The Wall continues...

~He'd tell stories about the railroad and how hard the men worked. It was a time of segregation and the Klan, war and depression, increasing industry and women leaving home to support their families while the men were overseas. Once women began to enjoy their independence, they weren't so quick to come home and many couldn't because their husbands and sons never came back.

I often wonder about those times and thought how brave those men must have been. Then I remembered that many were just young boys with visions of glory that ended quickly in a hastily dug trench on foreign soil. The women, just girls who had to carry on.

I snapped out of my reverie and thought, “If I die young, who will carry on my quest?”

I'm not really that young anymore but still much younger than grandfather was when he died at 87. The thought gave me courage.~

I'd like to thank everyone who has been following this story and leaving such encouraging comments.  It means alot to me and spurs me to keep it going.  It's also fun to read your takes on the prompt.
Have a great week!

Pondering My Meanderings,
Wanderer

The Wall #10

Based on the writing prompts of Jenny Matlock, this week's entry may contain up to 53 words including the prompt, "Laugh out loud" and a picture if desired.  Click on the Saturday Centus button to read the other entries or share one of your own.

The continuing saga of The Wall...

~Grandfather loved playing his fiddle and singing! He'd pull it out of the chest in his room and say, “Sit a spell and I'll play you a piece!” I laugh out loud remembering that he never called me by my name. After listing his daughters, he'd end at Sharry and that stuck.~

You can read the rest of the story by clicking on The Wall tab at the top of the page.

Pondering My Meanderings,
Wanderer