Dreams are Stubborn Things

Now that Tax Day is behind us we are freed up to start worrying about more important things. For me that would be my upcoming book launch party on May 6. Pam has taken ahold of the creative planning for the event with her usual flair and tenacity. A Sunday afternoon trip to Party City yielded a couple of bags full of gambling-related paraphernalia, the snacks and beverages have been decided upon, as the RSVP list continues to grow. So…what am I worried about? Two things…

A. That no one will show up

B. That everyone will show up

Here’s how my brain works. With regards to A…May the 6th is still over two weeks away. A lot can happen between now and then. People get sick, they have car accidents, emergency root canals, their houses burn down, just a few of the many last minute things that could conspire to prevent their attendance. Consequently, there is the possibility that no one will show up. On the matter of B…I am told by party planning experts that many more people show up at events like this than RSVP to events like this. Moreover, I have been told by at least a dozen people that they will for sure be coming but their names appear nowhere on the RSVP list, hence my concern that everyone will show up.

I know that I should chill out about this. No matter who shows up or how many, it will be a memorable evening. Like my emcee for the evening, Tom Allen, reminded me over lunch recently, “Relax, dude. All you have to remember is—don’t say or do anything stupid—that’s my job!!”

Still, there’s no getting around the fact that I have been imagining what something like this would be like for at least half my life now. I’ve been writing stuff since I was in Middle School. I’ve dreamed about what having a novel published would be like for years, which has gotten me to thinking about dreams and why some come true and others don’t. I have come to the conclusion that most dreams die, not from a lack of opportunity or money, but rather from a shortage of imagination. I have always allowed myself to imagine this reality, I’ve always allowed myself to believe that it was possible. So now that the time has finally come, I’m not surprised by it. It’s almost exactly like I’ve always imagined it would be. Before anything of value can happen to you, you have to be able to imagine it. 

Dreams are stubborn things.