21st-Century Vox

What You Wish For

The other day, while I was sick, I was watching the movie Pretty Woman. I’ve of course seen it a hundred times, but all of the sudden I became fascinated by that bum who ran around screaming, “This is Hollywood. What’s your dream?” I started thinking about people’s dreams and what happens when they actually come true. We all have aspirations and hopes about things that would be an ultimate experience to us, but do we really change if our dreams are made into reality?

I decided to look up some of the wishes on the Make a Wish Foundation to see what the organization actually does for people. Hundreds of adorable little children have been granted wishes since the organization began, but did they live up to the children’s expectations? One little boy’s wish was to ride a horse, a little girl wanted to meet Gwen Stefani, and one child wanted a fashion shopping spree. All granted, and all of the children seemed ecstatic by their wishes coming true, but what happened the next day. How long will that memory sustain you before you realize that that wasn’t what you wanted at all?

Imagine that you are a child inflicted with leukemia. You have one wish in the whole world, and it’s to be a ballerina. Someone allows you one day to go into a studio and perform with a dance troupe in front of a big audience. You get flowers and praise and applause and there isn’t a dry eye in the house. Then you pack up and go home. That’s it. Wish granted. Of course you have a memory of the occasion, but that’s all you get, which seems sad after wanting it for so long.

When I was a little kid, I wanted more than anything to grow up and be an actor or a singer and to be able to perform in front of people. Now, my dream has pretty much come true; I'm able to work in the field I love, but sometimes I forget that this was my ultimate dream. I feel like I should be happy everyday and thankful that I get to do what I love, but sometimes it can just feel like a grind that I get up in the morning and do my job and go to bed. That special dream I made when I was little just isn’t so special anymore, it’s just something that I do. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but I wonder if it is really what I dreamed about.

OK, so I’m asking a lot of esoteric, meaning-of-life, bullshit questions but I want to know if that old adage that dreams aren’t all they’re cracked up to be is really true? On last season's America’s Next Top Model a bitchy girl named Ebony realized halfway into the competition that she had no desire to be a model and left. Of course, Tyra chastised her for quitting, but she had simply found that her dream wasn’t all that she thought it would be. I envied her a little for realizing that she didn’t actually want that dream, and sometimes wish that I didn’t want mine so bad.

I guess the answer is kind of twofold – you have to appreciate the dream while it's happening, and then you have to understand that, just like everything else in life, it will never be perfect and it will soon fade away. Every time I walk onto a stage or in front of a camera I have an intense feeling of joy and excitement that lets me know that I'm living the life I want to have. Every time I walk away from the experience, I feel let down that it is over, and I will have to wait to have it happen again.

In the end, it seems that’s what dreams are all about. You can only have them for a short time and need to be thankful for every minute you're given. They aren’t something that literally last a lifetime, but are moments that when strung together fill your life. BLOG HARD! And I promise next week I’ll be a little more fun

It’s always a business doing pleasure with you.

– Dylan Vox

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