Bow down to your princess. Those were the silly fancies of a seven-year-old child. Ten years ago I dreamed of talking animals, dolls that could turn alive, and magic. My world revolved around fantasies that oftentimes emerged from the alternate universe of books. I wholeheartedly bought into the illusion that anything is possible and dreams do come true. So while other kids my age rejected the idea of the Tooth Fairy and jolly old Saint Nick, I firmly stood my ground. If anything was possible then a chubby old man could fit into the chimney and a fairy could exchange a tooth for a gift. Ten years later I realized how absurd my beliefs and dreams were. Santa does not exist and the gift under my pillow came not from the Tooth Fairy but, rather, from my mom. Not all dreams can come true and not anything is possible. Despite that realization, however, I still dream. Of course, I no longer dream of absurd fantasies; unicorns, wizards, Chuckie—the killer-doll—they no longer dominate my mind. I dream, rather, of success. To me, what matters most is the ability to dream. Dreams are what make us human. Dreams are what keep us striving everyday to improve our lives. Without dreams we would be nothing more than robots living in an endless cycle of repetition. Each day would be a routine. Wake up, brush teeth, go to school, eat, sleep. There would be no yearning, no desire, no want. Dreams allow me to differentiate myself from you; because our dreams differ, our path in life and beliefs will also differ. You and I, we may reach for the same sky, but we don’t reach for the same stars. We both inhabit Earth, but so long as we dream different dreams you can proudly say that you are you and I can honestly say that I am me. I do not want to wake up one day only to realize that I am nothing more than an automaton. I want to be unique. I want to be an individual. I want to be human. To fill the shell, that is my body, with my own special soul I will continue to dream.