Remember to Dream…

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a singer, nurse, counselor, vet, and probably 10 other things. My dream vacation was a trip to Disneyland. I dreamed of buying a house that looked like a castle and being treated like royalty. As crazy as some of my countless dreams were, I can’t help but miss the days I was able to truly believe that near impossible and completely unlikely things could happen.

I’m not too sure when I stopped dreaming…and I guess I didn’t miss my ability to dream until now.

Why does life have a way of convincing us that our dreams can’t or won’t be reality? As if everything we’ve every hoped for and imagined can never be. We grow content with accepting life as it is and replace dreams with day to day routines. Our mind gets caught on going through the motions instead of wandering into our “fantasy” worlds.

I’ve heard so many people tell myself and others to “grow up, wake up, and stop dreaming”. Why is that the message we’re spreading to everyone? Why can’t we just dream differently as we get older?

What harm does it do to continue dreaming as we get older? Why can’t we dream of traveling the world? Why can’t we dream about one day building or buying our dream home to leave for our family? Why is it so wrong to continue to dream about pursuing your passions?

Although I’m young, my outlook on life has been so different the last couple years. I’ve allowed myself to start dreaming again…and it’s the most refreshing and inspiring feeling. I dreamed of changing the world and helping people, and now I’m an administrator at a facility that works towards changing the lives of troubled teenage boys every single day. I dreamed of exploring and following my passions…and somehow ended up being a photographer for weddings, special events, and other fun occasions. For the first time, I allowed myself to dream of seeing the world…and although I’ve only been out of state a handful of times in my adult life and out of the country once, it’s such a satisfying feeling to know I’ve been able to explore people and places outside this small city. I’m still dreaming of true love and all that mushy, gushy business (haha); although I’m still waiting on that, I truly believe that dream will come true as well.

I guess life and maturity have a way of helping us identify what dreams in life are unrealistic and unattainable…but I don’t believe we should stop dreaming altogether because of that. For me, allowing myself to see the world wide-eyed and believing I can do anything just like I did as a child has brought so much enjoyment and excitement to my life. I encourage everyone I know to dream big and use the experiences and resources we have as adults to pursue them. I’m forgetting everything I’ve been told about dreaming and spending my time remembering how to do it instead. *smiles*

Until next time…