"Dream, dream your way through
Your dreams are elastic
Your dreams are the keys to the future
Write your life story, a best-selling classic
Dream, dream your way through
The highs, the lows, the dramatic
Your dreams are the true path of least resistance
See all the possibilities when you let yourself imagine"
-Excerpt from the poem "Dream Your Way Through" (c) 2011 Richard A. Fajardo. I submitted this poem to Helium.com in 2011 for the poetry topic "The path of least resistance".
In the above video, Arthur Boorman dealt with the aftermath of serving in the military during the Gulf War.
The physical deterioration left him in poor physical condition--he was considered physically disabled. Medical doctors were convinced that he would never walk again without the support of crutches. Likewise, members of the fitness community turned him away when he sought their help. In turn, Boorman continued to struggle with limited mobility while gaining weight.
Yet, Boorman would not settle for living the rest of his life in a debilitating state. He reached out to former professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, who had developed a unique set of yoga/cardio workouts. With DDP's help, Boorman did what he was told would be impossible--he can again walk on his own without the support of crutches. In regaining mobility and athleticism, he lost over 100 pounds of excess weight. As the video shows, he even re-developed the ability to run!
Boorman added to his life story by showing determination and perseverance. If he had simply been realistic, practical, and rational based on other people's views, he never would have beaten these odds.
In life, being realistic, practical, and rational does not necessarily mean limiting ourselves, restricting our vision, or leaving behind our boldest, loftiest dreams. Sometimes, the most realistic, practical, and rational thing we can do is persevere.
The preceding eight lines of the above poem I wrote in 2011 were:
"Don’t let the system take away your mind and heart
Don’t leave your hopes and dreams in the attic
Open up that treasure box of childhood dreams
Feel the power of joy and be ecstatic
Have confidence in your dreams
Don’t let struggles make you panic
Have faith in your life purpose
They might not always understand it"
Today, I add a one-stanza sequel:
Life is more than being rational, practical, and realistic
To move forward, sometimes you just have to tune out the interference
Take control of your destiny and don't let them make you feel listless
Go, write your life story--write it with perseverance