When I was younger, like seven or eight I wanted to become a pilot. I dreamed of flying all the time and also loved making and flying paper airplanes. And then my grandpa gave me a Space Camp brochure. And not only did I want to become a pilot, but I also wanted to become a pilot in space.
In life, you don’t always become what you dreamed you would.
When I was 24, I moved to Japan to work with a small church in a rural part of Nagano. It was in Japan that I met my wife and although we held our wedding in the US, we have spent almost our entire married life in Japan.
I am pretty tall in the US, 193cm (6’4″) and in Japan, I am no joke, a giant. For years people have always made a point to tell me that I am super tall and ask if I am over 2m as if that is some kind of goal to be achieved. A lot of people in Japan are not as vertically accomplished as I am and maybe they are a little jealous or something. But it gets old after a while, hearing, “you are huge” or “are you 2m yet?”.
One day my neighbor said something that changed how I think about my height and how I respond to people who keep asking me if I am 2m yet. My neighbor said, “you are really tall, it must be because you have a dream”. I looked at her with a puzzled look and asked for some clarification as I was genuinely puzzled by her clever statement.
With a big smile on her face, she told me that there is a saying that goes something like “people who have dreams never stop growing”. I think there are several ways to apply the word growth to people, growth of the mind, heart, or body all work. But she was saying to me, “you look taller than the last time I saw you” and that must mean you are still pursuing your dream.
Yes, I am still pursuing my dream. No, I am not an astronaut… yet.
But now when people tease me for being too tall in Japan and try to make me feel small by asking if I have grown since they saw me last or if I am 2m yet. I say back to them that “yes, I have grown” and “I hope to be 2m someday” because I have a dream, and people who have dreams never stop growing.
And I don’t get that question or nagging comments from that person again.
The Bloganuary prompt for today is “What was your dream job as a child?”.