The night is quiet, broken only by the occasional distant hum of a car, briefly pulling me back to reality from the jumble of my thoughts. My fingertips hesitate over the keyboard, typing out these words that carry a hint of inquiry, a touch of nostalgia, and even a sliver of apprehension – How are those old dreams doing?!
They are like glass marbles carefully collected and stored away. With the passage of years, perhaps they’ve gathered a bit of dust, or feel somewhat unfamiliar from lack of handling. But whenever I accidentally touch them, that once-fiery light still flickers in some corner of my heart, reminding me that there was once a world brimming with vibrant colors.
🌊 Do you remember? That resolute dream of owning a small seaside café, waking up every morning to the sound of waves, the aroma of grinding coffee beans filling the air, spending afternoons watching the tide rise and fall in a rocking chair, and chatting with close friends under the starry sky at night. Are you still striving for it now, or has it long been replaced by the busyness of your cubicle and the pressure of KPIs?
🎨 Or, that dream of becoming a painter, using the brush in your hand to depict the world you saw, splashing the colors in your heart onto the canvas, making every stroke full of life. Do you still occasionally pick up a brush, recording the beautiful moments in life, or have you long become accustomed to building another virtual world on a computer screen with code or words?
🌍 And then there was that dream of traveling the world, packing your bags, exploring unknown lands, experiencing different cultures, and embracing all kinds of scenery. Have you embarked on that journey now, waking up in a remote small town, or are you still entangled in various trivial matters, only able to silently mark those desired places on a map?
We were all once teenagers filled with dreams, our eyes sparkling with boundless anticipation for the future. Those dreams were like tender shoots breaking through the soil, full of vitality and hope. We fought for them, we sacrificed for them, even willing to give up some immediate comfort.
🌿 However, the trajectory of life often takes unexpected turns. The torrent of time carries us forward, and the weight of reality gradually presses down on our shoulders. For the sake of survival, for responsibility, for those seemingly more important things, we may have had to temporarily set aside those old dreams, or even forget them in some corner.
☕ Perhaps, those old dreams haven’t disappeared, but exist in a different form. That dream of opening a café might have turned into the habit of carefully brewing a cup of coffee for family and friends on weekends; that dream of becoming a painter might have integrated into your unique aesthetic appreciation of life’s details; that dream of traveling the world might have transformed into a carefully planned short trip once a year.
🕊️ Perhaps, those old dreams have become clearer and more mature under the baptism of time. We are no longer ignorant teenagers, and our understanding of dreams has become more rational. We have learned to measure the distance between reality and ideals, and to pursue them in a wiser way.
Of course, it’s also possible that some dreams, like shattered glass marbles, can no longer gather their former light. When we look back, all that remains is a faint regret and a soft sigh. That’s because we chose other paths, striving for other goals. This may not represent failure, but simply a fork in the road of life, where we chose different scenery.
✨ So, at this moment, please take a moment, pause in your busy life, and gently ask your old dreams: “Hey, old friends, how are you doing?!”
Listen to the voice in your heart, feel that long-lost stirring. Maybe they are just waiting for a chance to be reawakened; maybe they are already accompanying you in another way; maybe they are just reminding you that you once possessed such pure passion.
Regardless of the answer, please remember that those old dreams are precious imprints in our lives. They shaped us, guided us, and made us who we are today. And in the future, perhaps we can once again give new dreams wings and fly bravely. 🌈