FREE: A Dream Deferred

"What happens to a dream deferred?"

What happens to a person when they have a dream? When someone has a major goal in life? When someone aspires towards something? They tend to strive. To go to their limits to achieve that goal. They live on excitement, they live on motivation. But what happens when that dream is no longer there? When that dream gets cut off? When that dream gets deferred?

When I was 10, I went to a camp called the Mosaic Project. It was a week long program in the Napa Valley, originally designed for the disabled. We slept in cabins, sang songs around the campfire, and learned about life skills such as empathy. It was the first, and most amazing experience I've ever had. We had cabin leaders there. They were teenagers assigned to supervise us kids. I swore to myself, one day I would definitely return to the Mosaic Project as a cabin leader. Having that goal in mind, I was beyond excited. My mom on the other hand didn't understand my goal. She didn't know why I wanted to leave home for another couple weeks, she didn't wanna spend the money, or drive me up to Napa. With that knowledge, my dream was gone. Knowing that the chances of accomplishing that goal were slim, my excitement soon turned to disappointment. Disappointment to me, is the main consequence of a deferred dream.

What do you think happens when a dream is deferred?