The 'Calvin and Hobbes' Dream

In the comic strip series 'Calvin and Hobbes' by Bill Watterson, I have to admit Calvin has a pretty cool life.

For starters, he had a transmogrifier gun, which could change someone's form into both living and non-living things. He traveled through time and saw dinosaurs. He also rode a magic carpet, visited Mars, and met aliens. He was Spaceman Spiff and went on many adventures, he was a superhero known as Stupendous Man, and a carnivorous dinosaur species called the Calvinosaurus. And of course, he had an anthropomorphic tiger named Hobbes as a best friend.

So, is it any wonder that as a child, I often wished that I had some of this cool stuff? I imagine a lot of other readers had similar longings.
Of course, many of us did enjoy adventures like these. We imagined that our toys were living things and also our best friends, we dreamed so hard about being able to transform into an animal that it almost felt true, we became amazing heroes that defeated villains and saved lives, we rode our noble steeds (whether the traditional horse or a fierce dragon) through a fantasy world of our making, we had our dream house and dream life, and nothing was impossible if you believed in daydreams.
Over time, we begin to dream and fantasize less, and start to become more realistic. Some people 'grow up' more than others. Of course, a bit of dreaming is always healthy. Even if your dream is an unrealistic wish to grow wings and touch the clouds, it still grants a bit of fun to think about. And of course, some dreams may come true, like inventing something or having your dream career. Dreams are, in essence, a form of hope for the present and the future. They inspire us to believe in ourselves and others, inspire us to work toward our goals and make our dreams into our realities.