When we’re young, we all dream about what we want to do when we grow up. Whether it’s being a doctor, or a policeman, or simply working in a peanut butter factory.

We look to the future and its possibilities with awe, and life is good. Now, the magical land of college is the time when we should continue forth with our dreams and change them into reality, but do we? No.

Just at the time when we are at the springboard of our lives, most of us become frightened of the uncertain future and withdraw to walking down paths where we know others have gone before. We change from leaders of our future to mere followers of safe paths.

Is it reality slapping us in the face, or simply us cowering from the fear of the unknown? I’ve decided not to limit myself, but to live my dream, which I will share with you. But first, some background information.

Our moon has over 10 times as much potential fuel in the form of helium three on its surface than all of the fossil fuels on the Earth. This fuel is from billions of years of solar wind striking the surface with no atmosphere to block it out.

The first man landed on the moon in 1969, and the last human to set foot on our heavenly neighbor was in 1972. NASA currently has no plans of ever sending another manned mission to the moon; they have other pressing business. That’s why I plan to claim it as my own.

I admit some of the details are fuzzy, but in the near future I’m going to land on the moon, replace the American flag with my own and conquer the entire moon in the name of Michael Dahlstrom.

Of course, NASA won’t be pleased with me when they find out, but then again, what are they going to do? Unless they send up a shuttle to physically drag my butt home, I’m not leaving.

And since NASA plans missions 10 to 20 years in advance, I think I’ll be safe for a while. Just in case, I’ll bring some guns.

At first, I thought about naming my fledgling country “Dahlstrom-Land,” but that would be a pain to write on envelopes, so I thought maybe “Luna” or something like that.

I need something that just rolls off the tongue, but nothing too difficult to put in a song.

Maybe something like “Lucy in the Sky with Helium three.”

Then the immigrants will come. People will flock to my newly-founded nation for the same reasons that people crossed the sea hundreds of years ago to come to America. A new beginning. Religious persecution.

To quench their adventurous spirit. Or maybe I’ll offer free toasters for the first 1,000 families to arrive.

And, of course, my country will fix all the problems where others have failed. We will have no lawyers, country music will be outlawed, and we’ll make sure no mosquitoes ever make it to the moon.

After about 20 to 30 years, we will be too strong to ignore and evolve into the biggest economic superpower ever.

I will control all of the space lanes and charge a toll to fly anywhere, every Earth country will grovel at my feet because they know that in 24 hours I’ll have a direct shot at them, and we will have the most successful chimpanzee breeding program anywhere! I’ve always liked chimps.

I can’t wait to start my own country. OK, so maybe I’m thinking too big, but at least I’m thinking, which is more than a lot of people are doing. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb to accomplish something that you think is only a dream.

It may be scary, but it could be the one thing that fills your life with joy.

And hey, if the moon thing doesn’t work out, I could always be a forest ranger.

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Michael Dahlstrom is a sophomore in journalism and astrophysics from Ankeny.