I Forever, Dreamer

A view of the sunset from the rocky coast - The Burren, Ireland


I'll never forget the moment I took the above photo. It was one of the most sublime and emotional moments of my life, and it forever changed me. It was the culmination of a dream realized, and I've never stopped dreaming since.

Growing up, I never realized the true potential for myself in this world. In fact, I barely conceived of much of the world, except for what I had seen in an old travel catalog when I was about ten years old. It was a catalog of luxurious, guided tours to Europe whose pages I pored over with rabid fascination. That fascination remained nothing more than a tiny spark in the back of mind, stored away for "later".

Later never came in the way that I thought it would, but I did become a woman of a certain age. A certain age that started me thinking that it was 'now or never' to start realizing my dreams. So, I published my first book Cold, and a week later I was on a plane for Ireland. These two events have proved monumental in my life since then, and I dream and live life with two things in mind: a head for planning, and a zest for life.

I've dreamed about another trip overseas ever since I returned from Ireland, but four more books later and I still haven't gone back. Sometimes things don't work out as we planned, but that doesn't stop me from dreaming about it. Aside from dreaming, I've begun to realize that things that had seemed impossible before, are actually completely possible.

So often, people limit themselves out of fear: fear of the unknown, fear of starting over, or fear of the what-ifs. This fear stops us from achieving things or trying things. Over the past five years, I've really gained a lot of confidence and lost that fear. Instead of thinking, "I can't pick up and just move to another country," I think, "I can totally pick up and move to another country." The only thing that would stop me would be poor planning and fear.

My fears, in the past, encompassed thoughts like that one and others that would seek to prevent me from writing a story, making some music, or deciding exactly how I want my future to play out & then work towards that goal. When you realize your fear is the only thing between you and diving into something you want to try, you have to ditch that fear. Does that mean that everything you take a risk for will be successful? Nope, it sure doesn't, but you'll never know unless you try.

I know I'm going to try to live my dreams. How about you?



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