wonka as the dreamer of dreams

“We are the music-makers. And we are the dreamers of dreams.”

-Willy Wonka

Not too long ago our friend Tiff and some of our family returned (simultaneously but separately) from Disney World. Tiff, in particular, lamented the realization that we have lost our ability to dream. Disney World will do that to you. It is a sparkling place of happiness and cleanliness, and friendliness. It is so nice (and so much fun) you almost forget how much the whole thing is costing you.

Anyway, I wondered if she was right. Have we really lost the ability to dream? We live in a world where technology makes almost anything possible – at least virtually. And maybe that virtual possibility has limited our ability to dream about what it is we might do with reality.

Maybe we should all step back and reorganize our thoughts a little bit. Maybe we should all take that wide-eyed look that Mike TeeVee and Charlie Bucket had. Maybe crazy dreams are possible after all. Maybe a chocolate river and everlasting gobstoppers could remind us to re-imagine the things we are really going to do with this life. Imagination is a beautiful and dangerous thing.

Be bold. Say it out loud. What is your dream?

Mine? I want to wake up one day in the not-too-distant future and say that I was part of finding the cure for HIV/AIDS. My meager donations and unanswered prayers might go further than I think. After all, we are the music-makers…