Dreams

• Ryan Mugan, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2013

There is this feeling; a feeling we have all experienced. Sometimes it comes when you least expect, other times it comes when you search for it. Some people spend their whole lives searching for it, but never find it. They never do, because they don’t have the will to see it through to the end. They keep working a 9 to 5 job with a terrible boss. They stay completely within their own comfort zones, hoping for their reality to change, dreaming of greatness to get them through each day. But this feeling should be hunted down by everyone, unfalteringly. It is a feeling that bursts through your body like wildfire. It transforms you within, it gets your blood pumping, boiling. It’s not something that can even be explained in words, it is in a league of its own, a true, pure emotion. It is the very embodiment of life itself, being expressed through physical or mental interaction. But this interaction, it isn't just normal interaction. And it isn't the same for every person, either. Each person has their own one thing that allows them to feel this way, their own real reason to be on this earth. Additionally, every single person has their own personal feeling, a burst of undeniable ecstasy, the peak of emotional climax. To reach this unimaginable feeling, one must first discover what single thing creates this feeling within them. For some it is to be one with water, to swim, dive, row, or even skim the surface atop a thick, foam board. For others, it is the feeling of the grass beneath their boots, muscles going taut then loosening with every stride. The feeling of the ball gliding off their laces, soaring in an arc as it gets buffeted by the wind, before it finally slides down the net and comes to a stop in the back corner of the goal. Some, though, may prefer to assist rather than reach for glory. A well placed pass on the court - ball bouncing under an opponent’s legs, a crash avoided on a rally course due to a well-timed call from the navigator, and the feeling of leading your team to victory from the manager’s seat. All of these moments create this feeling, and display to the world the very essence of you. A mountain can only be climbed by those that are able to feel this feeling when they reach the top and peer at the world below. A real, flowing manga can only be written by those who can feel the emotion, the characters and the plot within their pages. A perfect book can only be written, if every word that is written creates this incredible feeling within the writer. If people are doing things without getting this feeling from their efforts, then really, what’s the point? This feeling is the one thing we should all strive for. It’s the feeling of reaching… no, living your dreams. It is the feeling of being truly alive.