Running After Your Dream

I always like to start the New Year looking at dreams I have had in the previous year and looking at new dreams I want to move towards in the new year. I am a believer in dreams as they are a motivator in living a more than ok life. Writer, Sara Henderson had this to say about dreams, “Always live your life with one dream to fulfill. No matter how many of your dreams you have realized in the past, always have a dream to go. Because when you stop dreaming, life becomes a mundane existence.” So how do you wish to start the New Year? Just existing or Living More Than OK?

I want to look at running after our dreams by reflecting over a song by Tom Petty, “Runnin Down A Dream”. If we are a dreamer we need to be active in following the dream process. We can’t sit passively waiting for life to happen to us, otherwise we will find time passing us by. Take a few minutes to look over the lyrics and listen to the embedded video


"Runnin' Down A Dream" by Tom Petty (click on the title to hear the song’s video)
It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was drivin'
Trees flew by, me and Del were singin' little Runaway
I was flyin'

Yeah runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream

I felt so good like anything was possible
I hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes
The last three days the rain was un-stoppable
It was always cold, no sunshine

Yeah runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream


I rolled on as the sky grew dark
I put the pedal down to make some time
There's something good waitin' down this road
I'm pickin' up whatever's mine
Yeah runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream


The beginning of the song gives a picture of someone driving down the highway with the radio blaring and he is singing along with the old 1960’s song “Runaway” by Del Shannon. I don’t know if you are a singer in the car. I can relate to this picture as many times when I am driving by myself I am singing to the music I have on. Often back in my college days of driving between Chicago and Ohio I would also use this time to think about life and plans I had and this appears to be happening in the story of this song.

Back to the idea of our dreams, the chorus states, “runnin down a dream that never would come to me”, goes to the thought that we must be active in the process. The dream will never come to us -- we need to work on it for it to come to fruition. A passive person who is not involved with life will not see their dreams fulfilled. We have to put the pedal down and start moving for what we want out of life. We need to create a goal out of the dream and make plans on how to achieve it.

The song also says “workin on a mystery, goin’ wherever it leads.” To me this relates to how sometimes our dreams change by events and Divine Intervention. Life is a mystery at times and if we are in step with God as we travel it we can marvel at the mystery and go with the flow of life. Sometimes that mysterious flow moves us right into our dream as we envisioned it. Sometimes there are the 3 days of rain and the dark skies mentioned in the song. In those times if we let go and let God lead; the dream result turns out better than we could ever imagine.

I like the attitude seen in the line, “There’s something good waitin’ down this road”. We need to start the year with a positive attitude that God will have good things in store in this year’s journey. It is easy to be negative by looking at the news of the troubles in our country and world. But the negativity of the news will only shut you down with passivity from runnin towards your dreams.

Reflection: Write down a new dream you want to run towards this year. Maybe take a drive and sing along with a song and a new dream may pop into your head that way. Also keep an open mind to God’s mysteries He may have in store this year on your life journey.