Chasing a dream

During my school days me and my best friend used to stand by the roadside and dreamed of the day when we could drive a convertible ( very much an "in" thing those days ) with hood open , pipe in hand and sun glasses with everyone looking at us.It has been decades since then and I have never owned a convertible but today that dream has vanished and there is not much to dream of . having gone through the various stages of life I think I am able to look back with a certain amount of pride and regrets.Pride in the sense that when I started life's journey I had nothing except perhaps a burning desire to make it in life and make my parents proud of me.Looking back today , materially I have perhaps got the things I dreamed of , a good wife, children, grand children and in laws.We have a little house , nothing lavish but its what we can call home.We dont owe any money and are quite comfortable.At this age our needs are very simple, a happy family and above all peace of mind.Many of my friends ask me " How can you , a government servant , put four children through university ?". I often wonder myself and perhaps we can rate this as our biggest achievement in life ..to be able to give each and everyone of our children one of the most important things in life..education.We have not been wrong in focusing on this and working hard to achieve this goal.looking at our children today we know we made the right decision. We have indeed come a long way in life and today there is little of the young man's dream left to chase except to stand aside and watch the children manage their lives and perhaps wish that they can achieve their dreams whatever they may be.To me a simple meal, my golf and spending time with the family are precious enough .We can take a step back and reflect of what we had gone through and muse on the things we did not realize.I wish that my parents can be around today so that they can enjoy a bit of what life can offer.I feel sad that my parents never had the chance to travel or fly in a plane. I think the furthest they went was by bus or by train. They did not have the chance to do so many things which we take for granted today.Yet never did I hear them complain , their whole life was centered on us the children and who can imagine the sacrifices they had to make for us , the children.Yes... I feel sad that we are unable to reward them or take care of them as they deserved, So life has its ups and downs and going through the cycle adds to one's experiences and surely makes one a better person.