Dreams Are Served

It was a line I saw on a poster in a small but busy store at Fisherman’s wharf along the San Francisco coastline. I was inspired and realized that sometimes, dreams are worth all that you’ve got.

Most of the things I’ve attempted have always felt incomplete. I tried swimming, but gave up when I found that my younger sister was much better; I tried music (vocals) and gave that up because of a fondness for ice creams that made my throat squeak like a frog in regular intervals. I worked for hours every evening on basketball and every morning on running a marathon but only had ligament tears and knee injuries to show. I even tried academic proficiency, but was sadly disappointed because of a lack of grey cells.

In short, I’ve not yet accomplished any of the little things I’ve wanted to. The marathon I witnessed on August 3^rd, ’08 in San Francisco gave me the best definition I’ve come across of the word ‘bittersweet’. It reminded me of what should be the focus of my endeavors. In the few hours that I spent at the Marathon site that morning , I had a little of everything – the anticipation at the starting point, especially for the first timers, the long period in between , that seems to stretch forever, and some vicarious excitement at the finishing line.

The marathon was in perfect contrast to my visit to the island prison of Alcatraz a couple of days before. The marathon was a virtual sea of hope; the prison was a confinement of everything but the freedom of thought. The biting winds and fog that engulfed the place did more to add to its glory. No one expects a prison island to be a tropical haven. It was no longer remote or untouched, for there were swarms of tourists (like me!). The prisoners were long since dead or relocated, and the place seemed more like a government hospital in India than a penitentiary.

I did decide to do many things during the trip; there were moments of reflection, and some of regret. But there were also a few occasions during the trip when I just relaxed and had a good time. The Chocolate fudge at Ghirardelli square was rich, looked great, and made me feel like I was in ice cream lover heaven. Definitely qualifies as a life changing experience! I also tried many things for the first time. I had crab cakes, clam, halibut, shrimp, and oysters. In short, I’m no longer even half a vegetarian, and will do anything to lay my hands on a good bowl of Clam Chowder.

Ah. The trip made me think, it was fun, and I want to get back to work. I even made a bucket list during a camping trip to Big Sur towards the end. In short, I have more to write about every time I remember it – Brilliant.