Some Dreams

Some Dreams Have a Way of Waiting for Us

This class ring reminds me of an eighteen-year-old who was certain he had his future all planned out.

The truth is, the plan began much earlier, when I was a fifth grader invited to play in the high school band.

I had big dreams back then: to become a studio musician, to play on movie soundtracks, to record my own albums, and, if I dreamed big enough, to earn a chair in Maynard Ferguson’s Big Band.

But, like for most of us, life had other plans.

After a few years of college and a handful of jobs, I left my hometown and headed to Oregon.

Life moved on. Eventually, the trumpet ended up in its case, tucked away in my bedroom closet.

But some dreams have a way of waiting for us.

After several years, I picked up the horn again. But this time, it wasn’t about becoming a studio musician. It was about reconnecting with the joy of making music.

I never played with Maynard Ferguson’s Big Band or became a professional studio musician. But I did build a little recording studio of my own.

Music is still very much a part of my life today. I continue to play, perform, and record - and you can hear some of that journey in my Live Performances and Studio Recordings.

When I look at this class ring today, it doesn’t remind me of a dream that failed.

It reminds me of an eighteen-year-old who couldn’t possibly have imagined the life ahead of him.

The dreams we have when we’re young are a reflection of who we are at that moment in life. As we grow and change, our dreams often do too.

None of us will ever know where those first dreams might have led. The only story we’ll ever truly know is the one we’re living now.