I fear that in this day and age, we as human beings focus on the wrong sort of "importance". We focus on money and how much of it we can possibly get. We focus on careers and which would lead us to make the most money. And money and careers are worth thinking about, especially in this society, but it is also equally worth it to think with our imagination. To remember how to dream.

It is so important that we all dream about our goals, our futures, and about the times we will spend hang-gliding over the Swiss Alps or zip-lining through the Amazon someday. Even when we are older and mature, middle-aged like a nice fine cheese (hahaha can you imagine turning 40 and someone buys you a birthday cheese twin. Look, you're both 40! That idea is only a ~little cheesy), we should always keep our dreams in our minds. Never give up on them, no matter how out of the realm of possibility they may seem. Dreaming and imagining about "what could be" keeps us young and alive. I know this is true because I heard it in a song once, and everything you hear is true. Just kidding, of course, but in this case, I believe it to be the truth.

The truth rings in the lyrical genius of Youth Lagoon's song "17", which paints the picture of a mother asking her child to "never stop imagining, for the day that you do is the day that you die". Though you do not literally die, your dreams do, and essentially, your spirit along with it. I would like to keep my spirit intact, personally, so you best believe that I will be out there, as old as a fine cheese (lol), dreaming about flying over the Mediterranean sea or scuba diving off the coast of Antarctica. (That's a real thing, by the way, which is so beyond me but wild and I love the thought of it).

I think I may have gone off on a bit of a tangent there, but the idea is this: society often molds us into these automatons that are just searching for the next success, the next stack of cash, the next this or that. We always want more, more, more. That's how our society has raised us. I wish we were raised on hopes, on dreams, instead. I wonder how different our world would be if everyone grew up in a place that didn't put money and success, the kind that would stop at nothing to be the "best", no matter how many people are hurt in the process, on such a high and frankly pretty unattainable pedestal. It is OK to not get the highest grade in that chemistry class you are in, or in your advertising course.

Life will go on, and we will still push forward. The earth will keep spinning, believe it or not. It is OK to not make millions of dollars. It really is. They weren't wrong when they said the best things in life aren't things. You can't buy the best. The best is life, it's being alive. It's having friends and family who support you and your dreams. It's living your life without forgetting all of your aspirations that may seem out of reach. May we all try to remember that imagination is the backbone of our youthfulness, our childhood, our spirits. May we raise our children on dreams rather than economies. May we simply be a melting pot of people living out our lives with that in mind.