"There I was..."

The start of every great Navy sea story. Some of them are even true. (This one is!)

I'm 41 years old, sitting in the backseat of an F/A-18 Super Hornet on the deck of an aircraft carrier somewhere in the middle of the Pacific. A pastor who joined the Navy late in life, about to get the ride of his dreams.

The pilot — call sign "Cherry" — turns around and says, "Get ready, Chaps. Put your head back."

The next thing I know, we're racing down the deck. The G-forces feel like a HUMVEE parked on my chest. At launch, an F/A-18 goes from a standing stop to over 140 mph in about 2.5 seconds.

Your minivan won't do that. Even if it's a new Lucid Gravity. (Check them out - wicked fast! And wicked expensive!)

Then, in mere seconds, we're weightless. Flying. A surreal experience for a guy who spent most of his career ‘flying’ a pulpit.

We circle the ship a few times, then fly out several miles to do some exercises; air warfare techniques and stuff. The G-suit works (thank God). We refuel other jets from the pods of gas we're carrying. I'm feeling like this is all a dream come true.

Which it was.

After a while, it's time to land. I look down at the ocean and the ship — which used to be huge, but now looks like a postage stamp on a football field from 18,000 feet.

We come down from the sky and land (violently) on the deck—another crazy, surreal experience. The tail hook and arresting cable take you from flying to dead stop — like, right now!

As I crawled out of that jet and thanked Cherry and the air crew, I stood there on the deck of that mighty warship and let it sink in: I'd just fulfilled a childhood dream.

My dad used to say, "Everyone needs a dream. And when you fulfill that dream — get a new dream."

Those words hit me that afternoon.

Years of preparation, training, and education had led to me standing right there on that flight deck. And it was glorious.

So what's this got to do with dinner, Commander?

Honestly? Not much. (Although I'm pretty sure I went straight to the wardroom after that flight.)

But here's what it does have to do with: your family.

Because your family has dreams. Your spouse has dreams. Your kids have dreams.

You - have dreams.

What are you doing to help them realize theirs?

What are you doing about yours?

The dinner table isn't just where you eat. It's where you can talk about the things that matter. Where you discover what your kid wants to be when they grow up. Where your teenager admits they're scared about the future. Where dreams get spoken out loud — maybe for the first time.

Every family eats. Not every family dreams together.

Talk about it tonight.

Tonight's Table Question:

"What's a dream you've had since you were a kid?"

This Week's Challenge:

Go around the table and share one dream — fulfilled or unfulfilled. No judgment. Just listen. You might be surprised what you learn.

Want help starting these conversations? I'm building something called Alice — an app designed to take the stress out of dinner planning so you can focus on what actually matters: connection. Join the waitlist at heyaliceplan.com.

Keep showing up.

— Chaps

P.S. Hit reply and tell me: what's a dream you've never told anyone? I read every response. And who knows — maybe talking about it is the first step toward making it real.