Beautiful Reality-Challenged Dreamer

Beautiful Reality-Challenged Dreamer  

I remember one time visiting a fellow who spent his days in endless tedium at a “day program.” An example of an “enlightened” activity at such a program might be for one person to screw a nut and bolt together, after which his “teammate” took it apart. Visiting such a place is despairing, to say the least.

An objective observer with no ties to such a program might conclude that the point was to take a person who was socially devalued and develop activities to reinforce such an attitude. I’m not suggesting this was done on a conscious level, but in the famous words of my mother, words that still echo in my brain decades after her death: “It happens to be true.”

The man I visited lived in a world of fantasy that was far more interesting than the physical world in which he found himself. I learned from him the incredible power of the human spirit and imagination. When times seem the most hopeless — such as the present, filled with war, hate, and fear — I remember him. I find hope and courage from his complete inability to accept the reality of his world as it existed.

When I lived in West Virginia, the area was impoverished and lacked culture. For me, that meant opportunity to enrich my community. The further one is from the ideal perception of self, the more potential one has for personal growth.

Some might say the fellow who attended the day program was reality challenged. I perceived him as a beautiful dreamer. I too wish to be a beautifully reality-challenged dreamer.

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Beautiful Dreamer written by Stephen Foster

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me
Starlight and dewdrops are awaiting thee
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day
Led by the moonlight have all passed away

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful by Carole King

I have often asked myself the reason for sadness
In a world where tears are just a lullaby
If there's any answer, maybe love can end the madness
Maybe not, oh, but we can only try

You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes you will
That you're beautiful as you feel