Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Dream a Little Dream

"Everything that is or was began with a dream." ~ Lavagirl


Our founding fathers had a dream.  The Wright Brothers had a dream.  Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream.  I think some pretty great things came from these dreams.

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a ballerina.  Mind you, I can't dance.  I've never taken a dance class in my life.  I was 3.

When I was in elementary school, I dreamed of being an actress and model.  I had head shots taken, I got involved in community theatre, I went on auditions and casting calls.  As a teenager, I even went to LA for pilot season to get experience with on camera auditioning.  My dad asked me, "What will you do for a real job?"  I stopped chasing that dream.

In 6th grade, I dreamed of one day going to UCLA.  For spring break that year, we went to Southern California.  My dad took me to tour UCLA.  To him, that was a practical dream.  He would give me news articles on women like Paula Zahn and would always tell me, "Naked people don't run the country."  (He gave me Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People when I was in 4th grade.)  Although his dream consisted of scholarships and law school, mine leaned more toward theatre programs and music.

When I was 16, I started attending the University of Minnesota.  I dreamed of freedom from my parents.  Escaping the reality of their divorce and my dad and Baby Brother moving far away.  My parents dreamed of academic overachievement and a future riddled with successes.  I drank a lot and smoked a lot.  I quit college at 19.

I look at my life today and it does not at all coincide with the dreams I had.  I love my life.  Are there things I would like to be different?  Yes.  I would like to be more financially secure.  I would like to have a life partner.  I wish I better understood ADHD, ODD, Schedule II prescription drugs, how nutrition affects the physiology of a developing brain.  I wish my kids got to see their grandparents more (which would mean I saw my parents more, yay!).  That's truly only the tip of the ice berg.  But would I change anything of my past?  Do I have regrets?  Absolutely NOT!  All of those things -the good, the bad, the ugly- make me the woman I am today, and I really like me!  Sure, I am FAR from perfect, but only one man could walk on water and I am not 2009+ years old (and I'm not a man!).

What are your dreams?  Is your life close to what you envisioned or so far from it?

8 comments:

Mike said...

I had no idea how my life would be and that was probably a problem on my part. If I could get a solid paycheck every week I'd be content in my life since everything else is good.

Beth said...

While some of the things in my past don't thrill me, they helped shape me into the person I am today.

Great outlook you have here!

Nancy@ifevolutionworks.com said...

It's great to have dreams, but it doesn't mean you've "failed" if you don't accomplish them. I agree that I wouldn't change any of the good OR the bad in my life. I like that the mix of t hem has made me a wise, caring and loving person.

And I have no doubt that you are headed for very great things/places.

Tracie said...

I didn't turn out the way I dreamed but that's ok. I'm finally almost happy with the way things are.

Ducky said...

By 18 I had my whole future planned out to the minute. Not a single minute happened the way I planned it -and that's okay. At 30, I can honestly say I'm full.

I believe God has an amazing plan for my life and when I stop getting in His way, things go great. There are things in my future that are far beyond anything I could possibly dream up.

Danielle said...

Oh, so so far from what I imagined. Am I ok? I am working on it. It is definitly a process.

Robin said...

Some things are much like I dreamed, others not so much. But I am at a stage where I am redefining myself. That means I am forming new dreams. It's very freeing.

Good luck with your new dreams.

Morgan said...

I'm so grateful that God has the big picture of my life ... but I'm also grateful that He gives me big dreams to dream!

Thanks for sharing!

Enjoy your SITS day!

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