The New York Times did a survey where, without clarification, they asked "Have you achieved the American dream? Will you in your lifetime?" About 25% of responders said that they had indeed achieved "the American dream" and nearly half expected they would eventually.
Generally when we say "American dream" most people think of a life of white picket fences and family vacations. One could probably also define it as having enough money, stability, success and happiness to get what you want out of life.
Most people probably feel they know generally what they need to be happy. I think what makes it tricky is knowing what to do day to day (or year to year) to achieve it. I think most of us are a bunch of wanderers trying to meander our way down a nebulus path to our ideal, happy state.
We live in a culture where it is generally believed that if you want something bad enough you can get it. That being said, what is it that most people are aiming for and at what point do most people feel they have satisfied their quota of achievement?
Does a person even know it when they've reached their American dream?
Heck, maybe in my 27 years I have already reached the American dream- I've worked hard and saved hard, graduated from college, owned a home, lucked out with awesome kids, and been graced with a 10 year old Honda. Yet as a young mom with a husband in grad school the tendency is always to look forward to "real" life, and "real" pay checks, and "real" homes and cars.
Then again it seems that most middle aged people with mortgages, high taxes, and college savings funds don't exactly seem to be loving life anymore than young folks with student loans. . . .
Its almost as if throughout life we promise ourselves uninhibited, undiluted happiness if we can only hang in there another 3-5 years.. . . if we could only just take that next big "life step."
It's silly.
This morning Liam told me excitedly "Mom, when I grow up I want to be an ice cream man!"
He seemed to be looking to me for validation.
"I get to give ice cream to kids. . . . I can drive a truck with an ice cream cone on it."
As a 3 year old this would seem to be amongst the most noble professions- spreading ice cream cheer to masses of kids.
Yet the logical side of me sadly overruled the supportive-mom side and I didn't exactly jump for joy. I just smiled and thought about the hard life he would live as an ice cream man- Always competing with ever ubiquitous Walmarts, seasonal unemployment, no health insurance, and social stigmas.
Do you need a certain amount of money and professional accomplishment to be 100% satisfied with life? Is total satisfaction even achievable/reasonable? What does it take to feel like you've really "made it?"
Maybe if we all were just truer to ourselves and embraced life's opportunities in the "here and now" we would find the fulfillment we thought was only reserved for our future. If we stop comparing what we COULD have and just think about what we DO have I think we would find life suddenly much sweeter.
