Always Hope

"My hopes are not always realized, but I always hope." Ovid

How many hopes and dreams did you have when you were child? Did you want to be famous or rich? Did you imagine yourself surrounded by a loving family? Did you build your dream house in your mind?

How many childhood hopes and dreams came true? Are you working at a dead-end job where even the boss doesn't know your name? Do you come home to a quiet apartment? Are you still stuck in the same house you've lived in for the past thirty years and the roof leaks?

We can hope and plan, but our dreams often don't come true. I wanted to be one of the first female MLB umpires. I wanted to have a farm full of dogs and horses. I imagined myself answering questions on a popular talk show.

I'm a writer, not an umpire. I live in a state full of horses--does that count? I have done small interviews. My childhood hopes haven't turned out as I expected, but I've replaced them with something more practical and attainable.

As long as there is life, there is hope. Always hope.