Dreams and Dust Bunnies

Did you ever have to do that one assignment in Elementary School where you drew a picture of what you wanted to be when you grew up? My occupational dream was some combination of cop mixed with Batman mixed with a ninja crawling through a warehouse window busting some cronies in the middle of a deal gone sour. Things didn't pan out exactly as I planned.

Dream jobs are just one form of that subtle wish list we all have inside. There are places, things, and traits I dream about. I dream to being a great husband, father, and friend. I dream of a house that magically takes care of itself and money that spontaneously appears in our bank accounts. I know I'm not the only one dreaming for dust bunnies to stop hopping away from the vacuum! We really need to find that bunny queen...

One dream I had as a child was to have an ant farm. They're so cool, c'mon, admit it. Ants are super smart (compared to like, dung beetles and stuff) and they work really well together! They always chip in to carry their dead from the bottom of the tunnel to the top of the tunnel and back to the bottom of the tunnel. An Animal Planet episode said ants are the strongest creatures ever, for their size, when lifting leaves or air. They're always building tunnels and moving things around like they have obsessive compulsive disorder. I once had an ant hill growing up but it got run over by a tractor. Then, in my early twenties, Sarah's aunt got me one. How cool is that?! It was filled with green space gel and had green under glow lights like a Fast and Furious farm. Sarah and I watched them quite a bit, wondering what they were doing or thinking. We wondered why they kept moving the same piece of gel back and forth too, but perhaps pure genius is difficult to understand. That's what I tell Sarah when she doesn't get me. Eventually, the farm got pretty filthy and found itself in the ants natural habitat because they were not sophisticated enough to manage and dispose of their waste. But what a cool way to bring a childhood dream to life!



Saltwater Aquarium by Robin Noelle



I've had another childhood dream that still lingers, a beautiful saltwater aquarium. My parents used to have dogs, cats, birds, and fish! Freshwater aquariums were fairly straightforward to maintain, easy to clean, and the fish tended to survive forever. Well, I can only remember having one, but he lasted FOREVER. Over the years I've developed my affinity for a saltwater tank. I've got a few books and read every article I could find online. The cost and maintenance are daunting though. It seems if you put enough work into them upfront, they'll take care of themselves with regular water testing. But if you rush into saltwater tank ownership, you've got trouble headed your way! So, I want to do it right. At the proper time, in God's timing, if it's in His timing at all. Otherwise, I think it would just be a headache and I would join the masses selling their saltwater tanks on Craigslist because they're "too difficult to move." Angry fish (don't steal my million dollar idea) would not be allowed.  I also hate those fish that always recede into the rocks when you're trying to get up close personal too. It would need to reflect something more hospitable, like a Finding Nemo replica where the fish family hangs out and plays games. But in case you're wondering, don't wrap one up for me on Christmas. It's a massive responsibility and comparable to giving someone a puppy, or better yet a child on their birthday.

Do you have saltwater aquarium experience to share? Any dust bunny realities bugging you? What are some of your dreams?