By Alex Love
If you would ask a person what their American Dream is, most would tell you something about getting married to a famous person, hitting it big in an investment, or winning the million dollar lottery. For instance, if you asked me, I would tell you that I marry Hunter Hayes. Together we would have 4 houses; one in Ludington and on Silver Lake. We would own our own herd of horses, and look after wild ones. However, if you asked me what my real dream was, I would tell you about something I am working towards today. About college, a job, hopes to travel, different places to settle down, and a family.
Right out of high school, I want to get into a college. Which college that might be, I’m not positive. I have been thinking about going out of state, to New Hampshire or Kentucky for example. I would go to LCC for basics if I hadn’t made my mind on where to go when that time had came. I would like to get a scholarship to bigger school, for sports or academics. I would not mind doing a sport in college, as long as I enjoyed that sport and if it gets me a scholarship, that’s even better. What I would major in is still a mystery. There are so manyopportunities and things that I am interested in that it is a hard decision to make right now. I think I would enjoy something that lets you interact with people, animals, or history. One area I am looking at is physical therapy. I believe I would enjoy that job as I would be able to not only interact with people, but help them at the same time. Another area of interest is vet or vet tech, as that interacts with humans and animals. Engineering is also a field in which I might pursue. If you have an engineering degree, you can go into almost anything and it can take you almost anywhere.
When I get out of college, I would like to find a job that I enjoy and has something to do with my major. That job would have to be in a place that I would like to live, like if I found a job in Michigan, I would much rather be positioned near here, the north, or out west near a lake. I would like my paycheck from this job to be in the high middle class earning range. I want enough to live on and be comfortable, and not worry if there is an emergency. I would also like a little extra so I can afford trips and such.
In my American Dream, I would not like to be so busy that I don’t have time to enjoy myself. I want time to do some of my favorite things. Reading is one of those things. I feel that reading helps me relax, and lets me explore universes unheard of by man. I still have a long list of books on my ‘To Read’ list, and I plan on finishing most of them. Another hobby I would like to spend time on is improving my archery skills. Granted, I’m not that good at it now, but in the future I would like to be able to build on my skills. I would also like to try and train a horse on my own. Training my own horse, I think, would be a great experience to have, and it would present an opportunity to have a strong connection with it. Being able to go to the movies or just have a movie night at home isn’t really a hobby, but it’s something that’s important to me and I would like to have time to do that with my family. It is an absolute must that I am able to have family time. I don’t want to have a family and then never be at home for them.
Travel is another aspect of my American Dream. I want to be able to travel. Travel all over the United States of America, and maybe even visit Europe. I want to travel out west, and see the wide open prairie and the wild horses. I want to travel out east, visit New York City again, and be in New Hampshire for a while. I would like to try and see a lot of historical places as well, like Philadelphia and places in Georgia. However, I would like to share some of the memories with my future family, too.
Everyone needs a place to settle down. Where I settle down is important to my American Dream. I am torn weather I want to stay near home, go out to someplace like New Hampshire or out west, to Wyoming, North Dakota or Montana. I would like to live on a good chunk of land as well. I do not want to live in a city where you can’t see the stars. Wide open spaces are the place for me. I need space for my animals as well. I plan to have at least one dog, and then either a horse, cow, donkey, mule, miniature donkey, alpaca, or any combination of them. If I am to stay in Michigan, I would like to be close to my family. If I could, I would try and find a place out near Silver Lake or Ludington. If the opportunity presents its self, I would enjoy living in the U.P. as well; near a forest or some hills.
Family is a big part of my Dream. I want a husband who is sweet, kind, funny, has a sense of humor and sarcasm, and over all is gentlemanly. It would be preferable if he was great at grilling and cooking, too. I would like two to three kids, preferably a boy first. With my family, I want to go camping, boating, tubing, hiking, skiing, visit different states; especially New Hampshire; New York City, the Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Yellow Stone National Park, and so much more. For my kids to have those experiences matters a lot to me. I want to keep in touch with my parents and my siblings, because over all, they have always been there, and I would like them to stay. I want to be able to call my sister and talk to her about things like we do now, and to have fun with each other. My dad is a must in my life; he has so many good life lessons to offer me. I also want to learn how to cook from him. He has so many tricks up his sleeve, and the meals he prepares are so good. His gumbo can warm you to the bone in the winter, and his burgers will make you impatient for the lake in the summer.
I have a very clear picture of what I want my home life to be like. I would like my husband and me to be home every night for our kids. I want to have summer vacations that can last up to a week long. I would prefer to have a garden to tend to during the spring and summer seasons as well. We would be a fun loving family that goes out to the lake, to a national forest and climbs on rocks. I want my family and I to take care of animals, to interact with our dog and the horse, cow, mule or other livestock. My children would know how to deal with problems and solve them to continue on. My kids would grow up knowing to give respect, and learning responsibility.
My American Dream has similarities to my rich and famous one, like horses. I am married and have kids in each one as well. That is about where the similarities stop, however. My dream is to have a great college experience, have an enjoyable job, live comfortably. To be able to travel, have time for hobbies, a family, and a nice place to live all take a part. Dreams are important to us. They give us something to look forward to. They are there for us to look at; and even in the most overwhelming of times, for us to say its all worth it, because one day, I will get there.
