I purchased a ticket to watch a London Derby—a Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea.
On match day, I held my son to my chest with one hand while I held my wife with the other hand as we took our seats at the Emirates Stadium.
"I have been supporting this club for a decade. Today is my first time in the Emirates, please don't disappoint me." I talked to Arsenal in silence.
The match was intense, as both clubs were slugging it out in their attempts to lead the table.
"Goal!!!" I shouted while on my feet as I saw the ball approaching the goal.
Chelsea's goalkeeper pointed the ball over the bar in what was the best save of the match.
"You better take it easy. You are not taking any prize if Arsenal wins, my wife whispered from beside me."
"You are not a football fan, so I won't blame you," I waved her advice and continued my match.
The match ended in a goalless draw.
I left the stadium with my family, and upon arriving home, I ordered fish and chips, a British cuisine that I had been longing to taste.
The sound of the door being opened by James, my roommate, brought me back to reality.
"It's 15 minutes before the start of the match. Let's go on time, please." James picked up his car key and waited for me to stand up and join him to go to the viewing center.
Before his arrival, my eyes were fixated on the outside world, through the window, while I took an imaginary walk into the future.
"I just finished watching this match. It ended in a goalless draw," I told James.
He placed his hand on my neck to feel my body temperature. "Hope you are not running temperature. Where was the match played, and where did you watch it?" He asked.
"You are not serious. I am not running temperature," I responded to him.
"I saw myself and my beautiful wife in the Emirates Stadium watching the Arsenal vs. Chelsea match. The highly competitive match ended goalless. We were at home expecting an order of food that we had made when you opened the door, and you brought me back to the present."
"You are taking this daydreaming of a thing to a level that I don't understand," James laughed out loud.
"The last time was a wedding in the Caribbean, and Ziggy Marley performed on the occasion. Now you are in the Emirates Stadium, watching the Arsenal vs. Chelsea match. Tell me, was it your Caribbean wife that you took to the Emirates?"
"I don't have your time. Let's go and watch our match. Whether daydreaming or whatever you name it, I imagine a kind of life that I wish to see come to reality," I ended the conversation.
The previous month, after listening to my favorite reggae musician for hours, I went into a deep level of imagination. I went to Jamaica on a tourism voyage. I met a Jamaican lady that I fell in love with. In another few months, we got married in the Caribbean, with the Ziggy performing on the occasion.
James interrupted my daydreaming that day. Upon telling him about the things going through my head, he advised me to live in reality and stop daydreaming.
"You better live in the present before you wound yourself with daydreaming."
"There is no harm in dreaming, especially when it is about making a progress. You will be surprised when I begin to actualize my dreams," I responded to him.
It is in my nature to daydream about things that I love or places that I love to visit. When things around me appear gloomy, I reenergize my spirit by nursing such dreams. I believe in the saying that if something is conceivable, then it's achievable.
"Do you know why you see me daydreaming so often?" I asked James during one of our conversations.
"I don't. Tell me."
"It gives me hope that there can be a better day ahead. My girlfriend jilted me, and it appeared as if my world was crumbling. I imagined a wedding in the Caribbean, and I got healed. It tells me that when I lose 20, I can dream about acquiring 40 in the future.
"I got a graduate admission in the UK, but I couldn't secure funding. Seeing myself there watching the Arsenal match assures me that if I don't go to the UK as a student, the possibility of going there as an established personality is there. It makes me optimistic."
Just like I explained to James, daydreaming helps me overcome a hard time or disappointment.
Many years later, I got married to the love of my life. I didn't get married to a Jamaican or get married in the Caribbean. However, the positive effects of my daydreaming helped me navigate through the period of my heartbreak. I came over it and witnessed tremendous growth before getting married to my wife. Going to the UK is still a dream, but I am glad that the possibility is approaching 100% each day that passes by.
Daydreaming is my unique companion in my efforts to be positive about the future.