Do you ever feel like your dreams got lost or failed you? I sometimes do, especially my dreams of youth. I was an ambitious dreamer, feeling quite certain that my future would include several Tony awards and perhaps an Oscar (or two). There is a sadness I feel about letting go of those acting dreams. I chased them to New York at age 19 but didn’t fully see them through. So, while I am quite happy in my life, those lost dreams can stab at me some days and make my heart ache.

However…

The other day I had this memory of dancing around my apartment in my mid-20s. I would dance around my apartment a lot, but on that particular occasion it struck me how lucky I was to be able to move so freely. In that moment, a desire to teach a dance class that celebrated freedom and expression began to bubble up inside of me. So I began to dream about it.

Around that same time I was working at a Naturopathic Medical office, answering calls for the physicians and scheduling patient appointments. I started to like the idea of people making appointments with ME. What these appointments might be for, I wasn’t exactly sure, but it would be something healing that had meaning for people. So I began to dream about it.

A few years before that I was in a production of West Side Story at the Darien
Dinner Theatre and made friends with one of the stagehands. He was a fabulous musician and wrote his own songs. I thought that writing a song must be the most wonderful feeling in the World. So I began to dream about it.

Flash forward to now. I get to teach a dance class that celebrates freedom and self expression! I get to teach private yoga and offer Massage Therapy for which people call to make appointments with ME! That stagehand is still one of my dearest friends and also my music partner. Between us we have written two plus CDs worth of songs and often get to play them for a listening audience!

Look at that! My dreams came true and I didn’t realize it. I was too distracted by the dreams I had lost to recognize the ones I had found.

Take a survey of your life as it is right now, without anything having to change. What dreams are you living? Take notice! Have gratitude! Pat yourself on the back!
And then … keep on dreaming.

I believe that if we make our dreams known the whole Universe will help us to fulfill them. I also believe that there are no limits when it comes to dreaming. If one of your biggest dreams has come true, fantastic! Keep dreaming, you can have more. If you are carrying the burden of a failed dream, let go of the burden but hang on to the dream. Save yourself the energy of remorse which is so draining. Channel it into something that will better serve you, like love or kindness or hope.

I am somewhat overcome by the realization that what I do right now is a dream come true. I feel so grateful. It also inspires me to dream bigger. I will appreciate and enjoy what I have and dream of ways to offer more. And I will still keep room on my shelf for that Oscar!

 

photo by jalalspages

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