Dreamin'

Let me steal a few minutes of your time and tell you about the Nathan you'll come know in the near future.

I've been throwing out so many scenarios of what my life will be like by this time next year, that I've probably come as close to losing perception of reality as any sane person could without losing it. All the aspirations of how I'd be, what life will look like, how I'll be perceived, etc., they've all come across my mind. At this point, what those things are, are basically what they are: dreams. I was thinking about whether or not I should even be thinking about these things, but I thought to myself, why not? Having these hypotheticals and situations play out allow me to set expectations of what I can work towards. Though I won't be able to achieve all of it at once, I do think that how I perceive my life in the near future can be pretty close.

It's kind of like when you're reading a story or watching a show, when you're trying so hard to stay with the present time, but there's that temptation to skip ahead because you don't have the patience to watch it develop; this is basically what I've been doing.

For your amusement, and mine, I'll tell you a few of the things that I saw myself doing. Before doing so, I'll let you know just how serious I have been about these things. By picturing myself doing these things, I've put countless hours into researching the topics; so if you'd like to know about some of these things, just ask me. LOL.

Raising a dog. It's funny. I've told myself that I need to be okay with living well on my own before I can live well with a wife and possibly a family. But by doing so, it still left a hole in me that I was no longer in active pursuit. Since the hole is left unaddressed, adding to the fact that I've been living with a dog here, I've gravitated to the desire to raise a dog. I actually think that there is a 95% chance that this will happen. Raising a dog has always been something I wanted to do; and now that I'm old enough to think about owning one, I have the potential to do exactly that. I'd teach him all the tricks in the world; we'd be best friends; and when I have people over at my place, there would be entertainment, especially given that I'm not exactly the most social person. It's like having kids, they become the life of the party.

Buying a car and a house. This one is a given, actually. I have a car now, but it's on its last legs. I'll probably look to purchase a car once I find a job. Not only is it a given, its a necessity. Who in the world likes a pastor that doesn't have a car?! A Honda Civic is probably what you can expect me to be driving. In terms of a house, it might be an apartment. However, if I have a dog, a house/condo is much more convenient. Add to the fact that I'd just much rather have my own space than to live in small little 900 sq.ft. of space, I get a little claustrophobic. I'll cook and I'll clean. You can come over to hang out if you'd like.

Build a computer. There's just something about building a computer that has always intrigued me. Maybe it's because I'm a nerd, and I have always dreamed of having the cool home entertainment system and awesome computer rig set up to have all the sweet technological things. This task has already started. Like I mentioned earlier, I've already researched most of the things I need to know and will begin to buy parts for my computer when Cyber Monday rolls around. The whole entertainment system and computer thing may or may not be the best idea for me, though. Given the work that I've seen myself doing and the hours that go into it, I don't even know much time I'll have to spend in front of the TV other than watching hockey. But there is a way around it, I just won't get into it now.

Start a family. Honestly, this is a result of the things I've already mentioned. Owning a dog, having a stable lifestyle, and knowing how to use my tools, they all kind of gear me toward being capable of starting my own family. I think this is the ultimate dream. If you think about it, each one of those things kind of build towards it. Should God bless me with the privilege of having my own family, I think that's going to bring me joy (and a ton of growing pains as well) that nothing else in life could ever bring me, other than the fact that he has already given me the gift of life.

Raising a dog will give me insight into how to care for kids and the relationship I'll have with them. Purchasing a house and a car will teach me to budget money and aid in the financial things. Building a computer, well, everyone's got to have some cool useless abilities right? Starting a family should be the real reason for finding the partnership in a significant other.

So there you have it, that is my life in the near future. This is where my heart lies aside from being called to ministry.