“Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.”
— Gloria Steinem
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I love the last sentence of this quote. Without dreaming we would remain static, tethered to the present moment and state of affairs. Would we have soared like birds without the dreams of the Wright Brothers and other aviation pioneers? Would we have reached out to the universe without the dreams of early aerospace engineers? Would any of the great structures of the world been built without dreams?
If we can dream it, we can do it. We will find a way. But we have to dream first.
I remember talking to an older waitress that I worked with many years back. Her life was always filled with drama and she always seemed discontented with her lot in life. I asked her what she wanted from her life and she said she didn’t know. Maybe a good job where she made enough money to be comfortable. Asking further, it seemed that she had no dreams for herself, no specific desires. She saw herself as nothing more than she was at that moment. It became clear that she had no way to formulate a future without a dream to plan from, a map to read as she started her journey forward. She was simply in the car with no knowledge of where she wanted to go.
That’s a sad little episode. I knew I couldn’t make her dream and I saw so many other people at that time in the same car, without maps and with no real goals or dreams to work towards. I tried my best to tell them, to show how I was working toward my dreams as an artist, taking small steps. But it didn’t always resonate and no lightbulbs suddenly turned on over the heads of those people.
Maybe it just wasn’t the time for an epiphany for them.
But I still have hope that someday they will realize that having a dream is a small step toward a better life. I’m not talking about a better life with more things and money. I’m talking about a better life lived with purpose and intent. That provides the satisfaction that comes with following our dreams.
So, as this year is ending, think about your life and dare to dream. Take that first baby step forward. A new year is coming.
Redtree Times 