“Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.” Man of La Mancha
Around seventh grade, I read the first grown-up book of my life: Don Quixote. Blessed with a wild imagination and limited vocabulary, I devoured the adventure side of the novel, sidestepping all of the nuances and social commentary.
It may be the hangover from the book that caused me to chase after so many adventures in my life. I see things in a different way than most of my friends and colleagues. What is it about dreaming the impossible dream that continues to stay with me? I know, logically, it’s a little bit sick – but sometimes I awake in the morning thinking my duty is to “defend the hopeless and destroy the wicked.” I even drive an old, robin’s-egg-blue Chevy Suburban that reminds me of Rocinante, the old barn nag Quixote rode into battle. And, even at my age, I try to rescue (impress) the Dulcineas or ladies of my world whenever they appear at the grocery store or a crosswalk.
I hope there will always be quixotic moments in my life. Whenever I wake up a little sore or out of energy, I try to remember the words of Don Quixote: “He who’s down one day can be up the next, unless he really wants to stay in bed.”
The few really good things I’ve done in my life started with an impossible dream.